


Parallel

by Beatonen



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-11 00:33:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 99,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13513044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatonen/pseuds/Beatonen
Summary: In kind of a modern world, where Huntsman and Huntresses are still there but it's kind of a smaller thing, less open than on RWBYverse.The name of this work is Parallel, because none of the girls are Huntresses, although they wanted to be, and will be, somehow, reunited.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyy! So, another story that nobody asked for, that I still don't know where it comes from!
> 
> So yeah, I kinda said it in the summary, but the girls are not Huntresses, because of different reasons.
> 
> And I dunno, I'm kind of in a Whiterose mood, so... yeah.
> 
> Anyway, here's that! I hope you'll enjoy it!

Weiss Schnee sat at her desk, her back straight, with her fingers crossed over her notebook as she listened with seemingly rapt attention to what the teacher was saying, but internally, she was groaning very loudly.

Teamwork. Great.

As the man gave the green light to choose a partner, people moved around her in a deafening sound of chairs scraping and desk being pushed around, but she stayed at her desk, lowering her eyes to her textbook and taking her pen.

She was determined to do this alone. Besides, if it was something meant for two, she just had to work for two. Right?

As her eyes trailed over the questions, trying to translate the words, she sighed internally. Learning different languages really wasn’t her forte, but Father had insisted, for it was important with international business.

Pinching her lips and furrowing her brows, she lowered her pen and was about to start writing when she felt a presence, and she looked up without moving, seeing her teacher, arms crossed and fingers tapping on his arm, waiting in front of her desk and looking at her expectantly.

“I work better alone,” Weiss said as she straightened her head, adding a small, confident smile.

The man only arched an eyebrow, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“I’m evaluating on interactions, too,” he politely countered, before gesturing at something behind her. “Besides, someone else is alone, and in need of a partner.”

Reluctantly, she glanced over her shoulder, and she could see, in the far back, the person he was talking about.

“I’m sure Miss Rose won’t mind if you give her a little guidance, don’t you think?” the teacher looked back at her. “I hear she isn’t from Vale, and she just started here. Maybe you could show her around a bit.”

He smiled, pushing his glasses back again.

His tone made it pretty clear that he _expected_ her to do as he said.

And Weiss bowed her head slightly, smiling sweetly.

“I will do my best, then,” she finally conceded.

The man nodded once before turning on his heels and making his way back to his desk, while the smile on Weiss’s lips vanished as soon as he did, and with a silent sigh she gathered her things, stood, and made her way towards the back of the class.

Ruby Rose was her name, if her memory was correct. She had started only a week ago, arriving in the middle of the semester, but for the most part she was really quiet, only ever scribbling things down.

She was studious, which was a good thing, Weiss nodded firmly.

But as she got closer, she could see Ruby scribbling down on a pad again, poking the tip of her tongue out, until she noticed her in the corner of her eye, and as she looked up, brushing her dark, red-tipped hair back behind her ear, she locked her eyes with Weiss.

She had to say, eyes like hers weren’t usual. They were… gray.

She stopped right beside the other girl’s desk, her textbook firmly held in her arms, and she quietly cleared her throat.

“Good afternoon, Miss Rose,” Weiss started, before mentally groaning. This wasn’t how typical students greeted each other. “As these questions are to be answered in teams of two, I was asked to work with you. Is it alright with you?”

The girl blinked, a very slight raise to her eyebrows.

“Um… Good afternoon,” Ruby finally said, her voice almost drowned in the noise surrounding them. “I, um, you were ‘asked’?”

Weiss felt her eyes twitch. Whoops. But she wasn’t someone who would backtrack on her words.

“Indeed,” she smiled slightly, bowing her head. “Is it alright with you? Because if you don’t want to it’s alright, I can always do it alone-”

“No,” Ruby interrupted her hesitantly, smiling a little up at her. “It’s fine.”

_Darn._

The girl gestured to the empty desk beside hers, pulling it closer with a loud scraping noise that had Weiss gritting her teeth, before waving at it, and Weiss reluctantly sat down.

“Alright,” Weiss sighed shortly, gathering her thoughts as she eyed the questions written in her notebook. “We have sixteen questions to answer before the next class-”

“I already did them,” Ruby said absentmindedly. “Your handwriting is very pretty.”

“You… What?” Weiss blinked. “But we just got them.”

“I answered them as he gave them,” the girl shrugged, taking her own pen to scribble on her pad.

And as Weiss followed the pen, she also noticed what was on the pad, and she felt herself bristle.

“Are you _doodling_?” she couldn’t help the hiss in her words, feeling irritation coil in the pit of her stomach.

Despite her acidic tone, Ruby only smiled sheepishly as she scratched her cheek, and she started making the pen twirl in her hand, nervously.

“Yeah, sometimes I just… Have to let it out, you know?”

“How can you be doodling nonsense and then tell _me_ that you already have answered the questions?”

The hiss in her voice was still present, but at least the girl was honest enough to give her a straight answer. She had to respect that.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Ruby asked quietly, lowering her voice as she hunched closer, and there was a sparkle in her eyes that made it hard not to lean over, even if Weiss had a scowl on her face. “I don’t think I got your name, by the way.”

At that, Weiss sat back in her chair, staring openly at Ruby as if she just had spitted a snake on her textbook, her irritation disappearing instantly. When the silence stretched, the girl frowned worriedly, and looked over her shoulder hesitantly, as if to make sure that Weiss was really staring at her, before returning her attention on her, cautiously.

“Don’t you know who I am?” Weiss finally blurted out, every notion of grace and polite etiquette forgotten for just a moment.

Ruby’s expression went from cautious to confuse as her pale eyes looked her up and down, before blinking.

“No,” she admitted. “Should I?”

It took a moment for Weiss to react, and she huffed softly, for the first time a small, honest smile pulling her lips.

“Oh, that’s refreshing,” she mumbled as she straightened her back, clearing her throat and raising her head high. “I am Weiss Schnee. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Ruby Rose,” Ruby smiled, before grimacing. “But you already knew that. Nice to meet you.”

For a moment they stayed like this, and Weiss had to say… After such a rough week, meeting someone that didn’t know who she was really was refreshing. She could have enjoyed the feeling longer, but she noticed Ruby’s eyes flicking to the side before returning to her, and a growing, nervous smile spread on the girl’s lips, and she sighed quietly, lowering her eyes on her still waiting questions.

“What is this secret you were about to tell me, then?”

Ruby’s smile was genuine now, and the sparkle came back as she leaned closer, shielding the side of her mouth to make sure no one else could hear.

“I’m already fluent in French,” she whispered. “It’s basically my mother-tongue.”

“Then why are you taking this class?” Weiss asked after a second.

“I needed the extra credit. I kinda have to prove I can be here, so…”

She finished with a shrug as she sat back, toying with her pen again.

“Why do you have to prove it?”

Never in her life had she though that someone else had far too insistent parents breathing down their necks, waiting for every grades and expecting them to be perfect, and she felt a wave of sympathy towards the other girl.

“I uh… I got bumped up two years ahead. My teachers back home said I was a prodigy, and I had a scholarship to come here, and so…”

She sighed as Weiss raised her eyebrows high on her forehead, her eyes stubbornly fixated on her pen that she was clicking over and over again.

“It’s not so bad, though, my sister’s here too,” Ruby continued, a gentle smile ghosting over her lips. “She keeps reminding me that I’m so awesome and smart, but at the same time she reminds me that I have to give myself a chance.”

“I see,” was the only thing Weiss let out, her eyes lowering to the clicking pen.

“I’m sorry about the rambling, Yang always told me I do that when I’m nervous,” Ruby chuckled, shifting in her seat. “And, I guess… I mean, you might think that it’s nothing, but it feels good to talk to someone, outside of my sister.”

She laughed a bit before grimacing, sighing as she rubbed the back of her neck, as if she regretted saying that.

“It’s fine,” Weiss assured, and she was almost surprised by how gentle she sounded. “It has actually been a while that someone hasn’t… talked to me this genuinely. So I guess it’s a win-win situation.”

Ruby looked back at her, furrowing her brows in a silent question but she turned her attention to the still waiting questions, and she sighed.

“I really should get to work.”

The girl beside her perked up, as if she was remembering something important, and she leaned closer again to look at Weiss’s notebook.

“I’ll help you if you need it,” she offered, leaning her chin in her palm and making the pen twirl between her fingers, and she smiled.

Weiss took a sharp breath, before letting it out slowly, and she took her pen, decided.

 

****

 

She was genuinely surprised when Ruby only ever helped her when she was asked to. The girl seemed like the kind of people that almost fed you the answer without you really working for it, but Weiss was really glad she didn’t. She wanted to learn _and_ have good grades. Maybe Ruby understood that.

Still, the teacher dismissed the class far too soon to Weiss’s taste, having only completed ten of the sixteen questions, and it was with a sigh of annoyance that she closed her textbook and started gathering her things, until a ripped piece of paper appeared in front of her nose.

“It’s, um… If you have questions to finish this,” Ruby pointed with her chin at the textbook that Weiss was clutching against her. “This is my number. You can text me anytime.”

Blinking past her surprise, Weiss reached over, delicately taking the piece of paper and noticing the hastily written numbers on it, quickly wetting her lips.

“Thank you, but I… I prefer talking. There is no better way of understanding each other.”

“Oh, well, you can call me whenever you want, too!” Ruby was quick to assure, a nervous smile on her lips again.

“Okay,” Weiss huffed, nodding as she carefully folded the paper and pocketed it. “I will probably call you soon, then.”

“Okay,” Ruby smiled, this time genuinely.

They both gathered their things, Ruby shoving whatever textbooks she had in her schoolbag while Weiss formed a neat pile before slipping them in her messenger’s bag, shouldering the strap, and making her way to the hallway, noticing that Ruby was following her. In the hallway, they walked side by side in the same direction for a moment, until Ruby turned to her.

“Do you have any more classes today?”

“I have another one in… fifteen minutes,” she confirmed after looking at her wristwatch.

“Okay,” she nodded, and they continued their silent walk.

Well, if anything, Weiss knew that they both weren’t very good at social skills. But then she saw Ruby pull out her phone, tapping on the screen a few times without looking in front of her, and as someone stepped out of the way just a second before Ruby would bump into them, Weiss gritted her teeth, glancing on the side and about to lecture her.

But her eyes briefly saw what was on the screen, and she frowned. It looked like a map.

“Are you lost?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Ruby instantly smiled sheepishly, added with a chuckle.

“Kinda,” she conceded. “I’m still not used to… how big Beacon is. I mean, its grounds are wider than the place I come from. I just don’t remember where the nearest bus stop from here is.”

“You’re taking the bus?” she asked, surprised. “You’re not situated in the dormitories?”

“No, I have an apartment with my sister. She always offers to come pick me up, but… Our schedules don’t really match.”

“Oh. Well, I can’t really help you with that. But, if you want a tour of Beacon, since you’re new, then I can be your guide.”

The smile Ruby gave her was beaming, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Really? That would be so nice! That way I’ll stop being lost, right?”

They stepped outside along with the flood of people, and as they stopped on the sidewalk, Weiss pointed to her left.

“Well, I have to go that way.”

“And if this map is right, I have to go…” Ruby mumbled as she glanced around, before pointing at their right. “That way.”

“I don’t think a map would lead you in the wrong direction,” Weiss mused.

“Meh. I still got lost so many times following a map.”

“Maybe you just don’t read them right.”

“Yeah, there’s that,” Ruby laughed as she pocketed her phone, before waving at her. “Bye Weiss! I’m glad I met you!”

After waving goodbye, Weiss made the short trek to the other building where her next class was, and as she looked back over her shoulder, she could see, in the flow of people, the bright red hood that Ruby had pulled up on her head as she walked away. As she secured the strap of her bag on her shoulder again, she had to admit that she was glad to have met her, too.

 

****

 

She groaned again, thumping her forehead down on her textbook. Maybe if she hit hard enough, the words would imprint themselves in her brain.

Really, French wasn’t her strong suit. She had spent the past half hour working on her last six questions, and she had barely finished two, scraping every part of her brain to do it, but it was so late and she was so tired. Just so tired.

She lolled her head to the side, staring with a sigh at her phone that lay on the table beside her, as if it was a constant reminder that she actually _could_ ask for help. She reached a hand to it, pressing a button at the base of the screen to see how late it was.

9 p.m. Was it too late to call Ruby?

Weiss rolled her head to the other side, staring blankly through the window, admiring the view. Vale stretched in front of her, its lights bright in the night, replacing the stars that the clouds were hiding, and she closed her eyes, sighing deeply, trying to find a little peace of mind as she listened to the music she had put on, low in the background. Usually it worked, low enough to fill the silence of her apartment and give her focus, but it seemed that nothing worked today.

It was probably because of her father’s call, soon after she came home. It always left her in this morose mood, where nothing seemed important enough to finish, and yet, she had to get perfect grades, so she would always push to finish her studying.

Today was just… Too much.

She straightened her back with a sigh, sitting back in her chair and running both hands in her hair and massaging the base of her neck, keeping her eyes closed for a moment before opening them, then reached for her mug of coffee, only to find it empty.

This was it. The ultimate betrayal.

As she felt her eyes prickle, she quickly shook her head with a weak, bitter laugh.

Only halfway through the semester, and she already was a wreck.

Her eyes fell on her phone again, and this time she reached to take it as she searched her pocket for the piece of paper with Ruby’s number on it. Finally finding it, she hastily typed in the full name and number, saving it. Then, her thumb hovered over the small phone icon.

She could always send a text, thought some part of her. No. It was better to call, the other part concluded.

And without further hesitation, she tapped it, then brought her phone to her ear, chewing on her lip as she gripped her arm nervously.

It took two rings for Ruby to take the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Ruby? It’s Weiss.”

“Weiss!” the girl seemed beaming. “Perfect timing, I was just going over my textbook!”

It made her relax, knowing that Ruby was studying too was reassuring. At least, she was ready. Then, a noise in the background made her furrow her eyebrows, and she heard a voice she didn’t recognise.

“She’s lying; Ruby’s been waiting for your call with her book open.”

There were noises on the line, sudden rustling and movement, and she heard someone laughing.

“Am I on speaker?” Weiss asked after a moment of silence.

“Um, yeah,” Ruby admitted, seeming a little out of breath. “That way I have my hands free.” Then, after a moment. “Does it bother you?”

“Well, there is someone else that I don’t know, so it kind of does,” she furrowed her brows, slightly annoyed.

A loud noise was heard again, then Ruby’s voice seemingly muffled, followed by a loud clanking.

“Hey,” said the voice she didn’t recognise earlier, the voice lower than Ruby’s and taking a suave, charming tone. “I’m Yang. Five foot nine, a hundred and eighty pounds, blonde hair, lavender eyes and nineteen. Nice to meet you.”

She could almost hear the wink in her voice and she rolled her eyes almost all the way to the back of her head.

“You’re the sister,” she finally grunted, rubbing a hand across her face.

“Yep!” Yang replied proudly.

“Look, I can call back if it’s not a good time.”

“No!” somewhere in the back Ruby shouted, and there was a grunt closer to the phone that made Weiss pull away from hers, and she figure that Ruby had punched her sister. “I’m so sorry, Weiss, Yang is just… excited that I’m talking to someone else than her.”

“Hey! You’d be fine with just me! I’m awesome!” she heard, away in the background.

Then, Ruby sighed deeply, and even through her irritation, it managed to snatch a small smile from her.

“Okay, so you were at question eleven if I remember right?” Ruby asked, earnest.

 

****

 

“Thank you again, Ruby. You’re really saving my life, right now.”

Ruby laughed and she sighed quietly, bringing one of her hands to the back of her neck to massage there as she glanced at the clock, realising with shock that it was almost 11 p.m., now.

“My pleasure,” the girl said, a smile in her voice. “If you ever have other questions again, don’t hesitate.”

“Alright,” she nodded, then glanced at the clock again. “About that tour…”

“Oh, I was about to ask about it!”

“How tomorrow sounds like? I have two hours free between my classes, in the afternoon.”

“And my last class is at lunch!” Ruby seemed overjoyed at the thought, before she calmed down. “But it seems it’s going to rain, thought?”

“Then don’t forget your umbrella,” Weiss huffed, shrugging lightly. “Alright, I will see you tomorrow. I will text you when I’m free.”

“Okay,” Ruby seemed reluctant, but she didn’t really stop at that.

“Goodbye, and thank you again.”

She heard a low chuckle.

“Bye, Weiss.”

And she hung up, dropping her phone over her notebook, over the questions finally answered, and she stretched with a loud grunt, staying there for a moment before pushing herself on her feet, gathered her books and notes, and piled them neatly in one corner of the table before grabbing her mug. Staring at it wistfully, she made her way to the kitchen, turning the radio off on the way, and she left the mug in the sink.

She could stare at her reflection in the mirror there, and she could see the eye bags under her eyes, her tired features and her slightly red eyes. Her attention was caught by a flash, behind her, and she could see her rapier on its shelf, the light reflecting on the blade, as if to remind her what she had left behind.

She gritted her teeth, meeting her eyes again in the mirror, hardly. She _really_ didn’t need that right now.

Suddenly angry, she stormed off in her room, and slammed the door shut.

 

****

 

Ruby had been right. It rained all day, the sky low and dark as it poured down its waters, reflecting perfectly Weiss’s mood as she waited near the gates of the principal, larger building of the campus, bundled up under her umbrella.

She checked for the fourth time her phone before burying her hand deep again in her white rain coat’s pocket, grumbling under her breath about being on time. Ruby had told her she would be there in five minutes. It was fifteen minutes ago.

She wondered why she was doing this. Was it because the teacher expected it, had asked her to? Or did she _really_ wanted to?

Sometimes, she couldn’t make the difference. Maybe it was all part of her father’s plan, she thought bitterly, her hand tightening on the umbrella. To blur the line so much that she would find herself wanting what was expected. This was all part of the plan of being a Schnee.

Before her mood could grow even darker than it already was, she noticed, in the gray of the environment, a splash of red, and she perked up. Ruby made her way to her, slowly, and Weiss silently arched an eyebrow at Ruby’s rain boots, but the other girl chuckled quietly, twirling her crimson red umbrella above her head.

“That way I can walk in puddles,” Ruby only shrugged, a smile on her lips.

“You’re ten minutes late,” Weiss informed, glancing at her wristwatch.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” the girl grimaced, scratching her cheek. “I honestly thought I’d be on time.”

Weiss hummed, doubtful, but she only turned on her heels, her lips pressed in a thin line.

“Let’s get going, then.”

She could see Ruby almost deflating as she started away, but she didn’t care. She suddenly realised she wanted to be alone. But before she could go very far, hearing the splashes of Ruby behind her as they walked in silence, she heard Ruby huff.

“Could we slow down the pace?”

Weiss stopped suddenly, looking over her shoulder to see the other girl catch up with her, a little breathless. Was she really going that fast?

“Are we in a hurry?” Ruby asked again, stopping by Weiss’s side when she caught up with her.

“Not really,” Weiss admitted. “I just don’t really enjoy being in the rain.”

“Oh, I see,” Ruby nodded, her expression thoughtful. “It’s a shame, though.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t sing in the rain!”

And with that, Ruby jumped down the sidewalk, landing in a large puddle and splashing everything around her, Weiss barely had the time the jump back to avoid getting caught, and Ruby spun around, a wide smile on her lips as she lowered her umbrella, letting the rain fall on her.

“I’m singing in the rain…” she sung, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

Ruby spotted another big puddle, and before Weiss could say something she jumped right in it, before laughing heartily, her umbrella forgotten in her hand.

“Alright, Gene Kelly, that’s enough,” Weiss sighed, shaking her head a bit, but at Ruby’s beaming face she couldn’t help the small smile pulling her lips.

A loud gasp answered her, and Weiss raised her eyes to the sky.

“So you know the movie!”

“Of course I know it, it’s a classic,” Weiss retorted. “Now use your umbrella, or you might catch a cold. And you’re going to be all wet for the tour.”

The other girl shrugged as she closed her eyes, lifting her face up and towards the sky, letting the raindrops fall on her freely. Ruby sighed deeply, extending her arms on each side of her.

“It’s for things like this that I’m glad I’m alive,” Ruby finally let out quietly, straightening her head to look at Weiss with a smile.

“And now that you’re glad to be alive, you really are going to catch a cold,” Weiss grumbled, already searching for something in her bag. “Come here.”

Reluctantly, Ruby came closer, remembering her umbrella in her hand, and Weiss pulled out a hand towel, making Ruby stare at it in surprise.

“I always keep one when it rains,” Weiss explained flatly, almost throwing it in her face. “At least, dry your head.”

The other girl flashed her a grin before her face disappeared in the towel, and as Weiss looked around, with the deserted street and lawn she could see, except the few other pedestrians that hurried under the rain, it was really peaceful. And relaxing.

She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the constant, quiet drumming of the rain on the fabric of her umbrella, listening to the drops that fell in puddles nearby, and the steady splashes of a car passing by.

Maybe she didn’t experience it like Ruby did, but… Yeah. Rainy days weren’t all bad.

“Weiss?” Ruby called quietly, and she opened her eyes to see the slight worry in the other girl’s features as she was drying her hair. “Are you okay?”

Weiss blinked, not prepared for this question. A small voice in the back of her head wondered how long it had been since someone had asked her that.

“I’m fine,” she finally said. “Why do you ask?”

Humming, Ruby finished drying her hair before carefully folding the towel, her eyebrows furrowed as she shrugged slightly.

“It’s just… You seem more tired than yesterday.”

“Oh. Well, it’s fine, I just have a little trouble sleeping lately.”

Ruby huffed, the sound a little bitter to her ears as Ruby gave the folded towel back, a small, contrite smile on her lips.

“Heh, I understand.”

Weiss bristled a bit, not wanting her pity and really not in the mood to receive some, and she all but shoved the towel in her bag, feeling the scowl forming on her face. But before she could say anything, she heard the very quiet grunt Ruby let out, and when she looked up, she noticed her rubbing absentmindedly at her right hip as she looked away.

“Okay, then I guess we should go, right?” the other girl sighed, but still looked back at her with a smile, seemingly oblivious to Weiss’s scowl. Or ignoring it. “I promise I’ll be good.”

Weiss rolled her eyes but still went off, and again, Ruby called her.

“Are we really in a hurry?”

She sighed and stopped, waiting for Ruby to catch up to her before matching her pace, which was kind of slow.

“You really do enjoy the rain,” Weiss only mumbled, digging her hand deep in her pocket to protect it from the chill.

Ruby smiled wistfully as a strange expression passed over her features.

“I can’t really do otherwise,” she shrugged, her voice kept low.

But before Weiss could say something, again, Ruby beat her to it.

“What are you studying in, anyway? I never thought about asking you before.”

“International affairs,” was Weiss’s instant answer, her tone even. “You?”

“Engineering.”

“Engineering?”

“Yeah. In weapons, actually.”

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks. So far, Ruby all but seemed like a gentle, if a little annoying person.

“Weapons?!”

It made Ruby chuckle, probably used to this reaction, but she only shrugged helplessly.

“Yeah, weapons for Huntsman and Huntresses,” she informed, touching Weiss’s elbow to set her into motion again. “I always wanted to be a Huntress, but…” she sighed then, her smile disappearing for a second. “Life had other plans, I guess.”

Weiss stopped again, staring openly at the other girl until Ruby stopped and turned to her, her expression worried.

“How odd,” Weiss finally said, quietly. “I also wanted to be a Huntress.”

“Really?” Ruby smiled largely, before her face scrunched up in confusion, this time. “International affairs?” she asked with a single eyebrow raised.

“Much like you, life had other plans,” she sighed as she resumed her walk, Ruby following suit.

“That sucks,” Ruby said after a moment. “I wish I could see what kind of weapon you would have used.”

“Oh, I have one,” she reported with a snort, remembering how angry she was the night before just by looking at it.

“You do?” the other girl gasped, suddenly bouncing beside her. “What kind is it? Do you have pictures?”

“No, I don’t have pictures,” Weiss snorted again. “Who would take pictures of a weapon?”

Ruby raised her eyebrows in a sudden moment of silence, and she looked forward with an exaggerated eye roll.

“Not me.”

The obvious lie made her chuckle, and it made the corners of Ruby’s lips curl upward in a very small smile, and Weiss shrugged one shoulder, happy to find someone who would understand her weapon choice.

“But, it’s a rapier-revolver, if I can call it like that.”

“A rapier, huh? It’s elegant. It suits you.”

She didn’t know why it made her laugh, but it did. As she did, she could see Ruby frowning, confused, and she waved a hand, her laugh dying in a sigh, pointedly avoiding Ruby’s pale eyes.

“I’m… Don’t mind me. You were saying?”

She felt Ruby’s eyes on her for a moment as the silence stretched, and she could feel it, in the pit of her stomach. Everything she felt when she looked at her weapon; anger resentment, and most of all, regret.

“In the barrel of the revolver,” Ruby finally said, apparently brushing Weiss’s weird reaction aside. “Do you use plain bullets? Or Dust-infused ones?”

“Neither. I used only Dust.”

“Only Dust?” the other girl repeated, surprised. “You must have a semblance that can control it, then.”

“I’m so glad I can actually talk about this. People usually say I’m using magic.”

Ruby huffed shortly, before slightly leaning over.

“Civilians,” she let out, her voice dripping with fake disgust.

And Weiss laughed again, genuinely this time, and Ruby chuckled along, looking forward as they neared the intersection of the street.

“Maybe in a parallel universe we’re both Huntresses, and we’re on the same team,” she mused thoughtfully. “I could be the fearless leader!”

“Oh? And why would _you_ be the leader?”

“Why not?”

“You’re younger than me!”

“So?”

“So, _I_ definitely would be the leader,” Weiss affirmed, raising her chin high, making Ruby roll her eyes with a shake of her head.

They stopped on the corner as Weiss pressed the button for the pedestrian light, waiting as the traffic light slowly dangled from its pole in the wind, the red light bright and seemingly the only source of color, beside Ruby.

“But here we are,” Weiss sighed after a moment, seeing Ruby turn her head to look at her as she kept her attention in front of her. “Not Huntresses.”

Maybe she sounded more bitter than intended, because she felt Ruby’s hand on her shoulder, her touch light, before she squeezed it shortly.

“I mean, for me I don’t really mind, I’ll still be in this area, but… Why did you choose international affairs if you wanted to be a Huntress so much?”

Gently pulling away from Ruby’s touch, Weiss busied her available hand by pulling on her coat, straightening it and keeping her attention on it as they waited to cross the street.

“It’s personal,” she only answered.

All the traffic lights turned red, then, and the pedestrian light flashed for them, along with the number of seconds they had to cross the street and Weiss hastily moved, followed by Ruby. This time, the silence stretched on and on, and Weiss felt bad that she was the cause of it. Carefully, she glanced over her shoulder to check on Ruby, but the other girl didn’t seem bothered at all.

Maybe she understood that she had stepped on a landmine. Weiss knew she had many of them.

And as she looked back in front of them again, she could see that they were closing in on a building part of the campus, and she took a deep breath, preparing herself to be the guide she said she would be.


	2. Chapter 2

She still didn’t know how it happened, even after the first two weeks. Ruby Rose was her friend.

They had classes together on Monday and Wednesday, and Ruby had taken the habit to spend time with Weiss on her two hours free, on Thursday, and they had lunch together almost every day, now. Usually, they took this time to study and continue the homework they had, but as the weeks passed by, they found themselves talking more and studying less. Weiss had finally given in, and had taken pictures of Myrtenaster, her rapier, to show it to Ruby.

Oh, the face Ruby made. Pure, honest and complete joy in the form of Ruby Rose the moment she turned her phone towards her to show her said weapon. Then, it was endless babbling on both their parts; Ruby seemed to know everything about mechanism and weaponry, while Weiss could tell everything about Dust. Sometimes, they would push their homework aside to have only Ruby’s pad in front of them, and would create some really crazy weapon that would never see the light of day.

In other words, Ruby had become a good friend. And Weiss realised it the hard way. When Ruby decided that Weiss wasn’t learning enough French, and would only text her in this God forsaken language.

As Weiss walked out of her economy class, swallowing back a sigh of relief to finally be out, she reached into her pocket to check her phone, out of habit, now.

Ruby had sent her a message. In French, again, she noticed with a groan.

‘ _Mais où est tu?_ ’ It read. ‘ _Je t’attend à notre place habituelle._ ’

“Usual spot,” Weiss nodded to herself as she pocketed her phone, and headed to her left, towards the doors that led outside.

Every sunny day, Ruby had insisted to eat lunch outside, because she liked the feel of the sun on her and the way the colors seemed to always be brighter then. Weiss hadn’t objected. Their usual spot was a picnic table sitting under a tree, and Weiss would always take the side that was hidden from the sun, under the leaves, and Ruby had always made fun of her for that. She said that Weiss would probably burn if she stayed more than five minutes under the sun.

Today, the sun was bright in this early summer day, and she had to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the exterior before she spotted Ruby, waiting at the foot of the tree, but from this distance it was only a splosh of red on the sea of green. Weiss huffed with a smile, wondering if Ruby knew how she would be at a lost if her friend would one day not dress in red, for the color being her way to spot Ruby.

As she made her way closer, she could see Ruby, sitting down in the grass and leaning back on her hands, her eyes closed and her head back, letting the sun warm her skin as she wasn’t wearing her jacket, leaving her shoulders bare in her red and black tank top.

“ _Bonjour, mademoiselle Rose_ ,” Weiss tried with a smile as she got closer, earning Ruby’s attention. “ _J’espère que je ne vous ai pas fait trop attendre._ ”

The other girl laughed with a slight grimace, straightening her back as she looped her arms around her knees.

“We really have to work on your accent. And you can stop saying ‘ _vous_ ’ to me. It’s usually used in a professional way, or to include many people. You can say ‘ _tu_ ’, it’s more familiar, you know that.”

Weiss groaned as she plopped down beside her friend, leaving her bag on the wooden table beside them, folding her legs to the side.

“Why can’t it be like English, where you can just say ‘you’ and everyone is included,” she couldn’t help but grumble. “Am I talking to you, or to you _and_ the three other people beside you? Who knows!”

Ruby laughed at that and she shifted, stretching her legs in front of her, knocking her boots together a few times. Boots, because Weiss soon discovered that Ruby would never trade her boots for anything else, except her rain boots when it rained.

“Why do you know French so well, anyway?” Weiss asked after a moment, basking in the sun.

“My mom,” Ruby answered, and the short sigh she let out after earned Weiss’s attention. “It was her mother-tongue. It was important for her that we knew both languages.”

“Was?”

The other girl took a sharp breath in, before looking at her with a small, tense smile.

“Yeah,” was the only thing she said.

Weiss nodded then, letting the matter go. Ruby had her landmines too.

“You don’t talk about your parents often,” Weiss still took the chance to comment, her voice quiet and gentle.

It earned her a snort, and Ruby gently elbowed her in her side, her smile still small but sincere this time.

“I can say the same for you.”

“Fair enough.”

Ruby huffed then, her smile inching larger as she closed her eyes again and let her head fall back, sighing deeply, content. Weiss watched her for a moment, noticing the freckles that were appearing on the bridge of her nose, her cheekbones and shoulders at their regular sun bathing. She sometimes wished she could enjoy the simple things like Ruby did. A day of rain, a sunny day, a flower on the side of the road, a dog walking by (Okay, that she could appreciate as much as Ruby.) Or just… Just every moment. Ruby was biting in life in a way Weiss wanted to, but didn’t know how.

At least, she had Ruby. The other girl could always somehow explain why this and that was important to her, why she enjoyed them so much. Ruby was so full of life that she sometimes wondered why she did stay around her.

“Did you have another bad dream?” Ruby suddenly asked, and Weiss was brought back to reality.

“No,” she furrowed her brows. “Why?”

“You’re making a weird face. I was wondering if you were thinking about it.”

Weiss lightly slapped her arm, effectively making her chuckle, before pushing herself to her feet with a sigh, brushing a few blades of grass from her skirt.

“I don’t make ‘weird faces’,” she mumbled under her breath, and she could see the smile on Ruby’s face grow larger.  “Anyway, you should enjoy one thing of the numerous things you enjoy in life.”

It made dark eyebrows furrow as Ruby creaked one eyes open, the sun hitting it, and she had found out recently that her eyes weren’t gray, but silver. And as the sun was illuminating it, it was, well, clear as day.

“Eating,” Weiss answered for her, before making her way for the table.

It was rewarded by a loud gasp, as if Ruby had forgotten why they were here, and it made Weiss roll her eyes as Ruby jumped to her feet as she walked around the table to sit in front of her.

“What are you having today?” Weiss asked as she opened her own lunch box, pulling out her salad and her water bottle.

“Baloney sandwich!”

“Again? Isn’t it three times in a row?”

Ruby only shrugged, and was already biting in her sandwich by the time it took Weiss to look up again.

“I don’t care,” she said around her bite.

“Swallow before talking,” Weiss sighed, shaking her head slightly.

With a slight hum, Ruby hastily swallowed, thickly, before smiling up at Weiss, charming.

“I don’t care,” she said again, clearly, and this time Weiss raised her eyes to the sky.

The other girl chuckled, a playful gleam still in her eyes, and a silence fell on them, comfortable. It was in moments like these that she could realise how Ruby had grown important in her life, in such a short time that it kind of frightened her.

Ruby was her friend. Probably her only friend, too.

At the same time, Ruby seemed to only have Weiss as a friend, and it never seemed to bother her. That Weiss was her only friend.

She stabbed her fork in her salad, feeling her mouth twist. Why was she so ungrateful?

“Weiss,” Ruby brought her attention back, her silver eyes slightly narrowed. “Are you really okay? You keep making weird faces.”

“I’m not-” Weiss started before pausing, setting her fork down as she let out breath. “I’m fine.”

The other girl kept staring at her, chewing on her bite for a moment as if she wasn’t absolutely certain that Weiss was honest, and she waited until Weiss took her fork, picking at her salad without another word.

“Hey,” Ruby started, swallowing her bite as Weiss looked up at her. “So there’s this movie I wanted to go see, you wanna go with me?”

Weiss paused. It was the first time one of them suggested to do something outside of the campus, outside of ‘school time’ as Ruby called it, and as the end of the semester was coming… The offer was bitter-sweet.

“Ruby, you know I have an exam in two days. I have to study,” Weiss gently declined.

“Okay, but hear me out; what if… we study… and _then_ we go see the movie?”

The beautiful, hopeful smile Ruby offered her made Weiss grunt internally, and she had to look away to not accept right away. She _had_ to study. There were consequences if she didn’t.

Still…

A night to escape everything, with Ruby seemed… more enticing than she expected.

“Come on, Weiss, just this once!” Ruby was saying, trying to convince her. “After our brains are mushed with all this studying we go see an action movie where we don’t need to think! Explosions! Guns! Women kicking ass! Doesn’t it sound fun?” At Weiss’s still unsure face, Ruby leaned over on her elbows, sighing quietly. “Okay, Imma have to bring out the big guns. We’re going to see _Wonder Woman_.”

Weiss all but perked up, and at the very satisfied smile Ruby had on her lips, she had noticed it too.

“Alright, fine,” Weiss grumbled, feeling a slight blush on her cheeks as she reached for her bottle. “Only if we study.”

“You are so predictable,” the other girl chuckled, seemingly very pleased by her victory.

“What do you mean, I’m ‘predictable’?”

“Because you are the gayest gay to ever gay, and it’s funny to use it against you.”

She almost spitted from her bottle. Ruby cackled under her breath as she rummaged through her lunch box to find something while Weiss stared at her, wide eyed, while Ruby’s words were slowly being processed.

“Ruby, I’m not-” she tried, but was interrupted by a loud snort.

“Huh-uh. And the sky is green, too,” Ruby winked, but when Weiss’s face scrunched up, her lips pinching tightly she only leaned closer, her expression serious. “Weiss, it’s okay. You know I still like you.”

“But I’m not!”

“Really, Weiss? You should see yourself, sometimes. When a girl talks to you, there’s a sparkle in your eye, and you’re so earnest it’s almost embarrassing to watch. When a guy talks to you, oh man. You always make this face, like the most disgusted face I have ever seen in my life. And my sister keeps making disgusted faces at me, so that’s something.”

“It’s not my fault if they sound like idiots!”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that Jaune is a sweet guy,” Ruby countered, raising a finger in the air. “But, yeah, he’s kind of an idiot.”

Weiss raised her eyes to the sky but decided to return her attention to her food, shaking her head slightly as Ruby groaned.

“You can’t tell me that you _honestly_ never caught yourself checking a girl out. You do this all the time.”

“It’s not my fault if I like fashion, Ruby!”

“Oh, yeah,” she scoffed, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she straightened her back. “There’s a _lot_ of fashion going on at the pool.”

“What is this?” Weiss finally exclaimed, irritation clear in her voice. “Is this an interrogation?”

“No! It’s- Ugh, Weiss, I just wanted to tell you that it’s okay!”

Ruby sighed, running a hand in her hair before chewing on her lip for a moment, and she rested her elbows on the table, keeping her eyes on her empty lunchbox in front of her.

“Look, I know you like Wonder Woman, that’s why I wanted to go see the movie with you. Because it’s more fun with friends, and you don’t really strike me as the kind of person who would go see a movie alone. Plus, Wonder Woman on a giant screen,” she added, this time with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Torn between strangling her and laughing, Weiss only poked around in her salad, the silence stretching for a long moment, before she finally brought some to her mouth.

“That is very thoughtful of you,” she said quietly, but didn’t miss the way Ruby’s lips curled upward.

“I know,” the other girl sat back, shrugging one shoulder with a cocky smile.

“It still doesn’t mean I’m gay,” she insisted, stubborn.

Now it was Ruby’s turn to raise her eyes to the sky with a slight shake of her head.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night. So, we should get started if we want to go.”

 

****

 

Weiss parked her car in front of the building, taking a moment to look at it. It seemed relatively old, but sturdy, and six balconies could be seen in the front. She looked at one, top right, and she could see Ruby perking up when she waved at her, before the other girl swiftly disappeared inside.

They had studied everything they wanted, and Weiss had felt at ease enough to really accept Ruby’s offer, telling her that she would go pick her up. She got out of the car, locking it with a beep, and made her way inside the apartment complex.

As soon as Weiss entered, she crinkled her nose. It smelled like old shoes, and the gray carpet had mysterious darker stains, and she really didn’t want to know what had caused it. So she climbed the stairs, and knocked on the door, the ‘6’ that was hung against it crooked, and as she reached to straighten it, the door opened wide.

But it wasn’t Ruby.

“Well hello there,” a tall blonde woman said with a charming voice after a second of shock, leaning her shoulder against the door. “It would be my pleasure to help you, so please, tell me how I can.”

Weiss eyed her up and down, arching a single eyebrow.

“Five foot nine, blonde hair, lavender eyes…” she mused, and she saw recognition flash in the woman’s face. “You must be Yang.”

The tall blonde blinked once, twice, before pushing her shoulder off the door.

“ _Weiss_?” she asked, almost sounding like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Yes,” Weiss confirmed, with a slight note of hesitation.

After a second of stillness, Yang opened the door wider for her to enter, and as she did, she brought her left hand up to her mouth, making a voice-over.

“Ruby! You could have told me how hot Weiss is instead of keeping her all to yourself!”

“Excuse-me?!” Weiss exclaimed in a mix of shock and embarrassment.

There was a loud bang somewhere in the apartment, and soon, footsteps came from a nearby hallway before Ruby appeared, and as soon as she did Weiss had to duck away, for Ruby was throwing books and shoes at Yang.

“Don’t say things like that about my friend, it’s embarrassing!” she yelled at her sister, effectively making her laugh, her cheeks as red as her tank top, before turning her attention to Weiss. “I’m so sorry. You’re kinda early, she wasn’t supposed to be here.”

“Pff, as if I would leave you alone with this beauty,” Yang said with a wave of her hand, winking at Weiss.

Both Weiss and Ruby groaned, and Ruby returned in the depths of the hallway, to go find ammunitions or to finish what she was doing, while Weiss just stood awkwardly near the door, tapping her index on her thumb as she glanced around.

“You can sit, you know,” Yang offered, gesturing at the nearby table as she moved behind a counter, the only thing separating the living room with the kitchen. “You want some water?”

“No, thank you,” she declined, but still went to that table, taking a seat.

“Suit yourself,” Yang only replied.

She could hear her rummaging in the fridge for a moment before she heard the heavy footfalls coming closer, and Yang fell in a chair on the other side with a sigh, the wood creaking dangerously under her weight, and she carefully set down the glass of water she was carrying in her right hand.

Well, right ‘hand’. As Weiss looked with more attention, she realised it was a prosthetic. One that was familiar.

“Is this Atlesian?” Weiss asked despite herself, her eyes fixated on Yang’s prosthetic.

She had painted it in black and yellow, seemingly her color scheme, and she noticed the raise of blonde eyebrows.

“Um, yeah,” the blonde confirmed, shrugging very slightly.

“Can I have a look?”

Yang huffed, but pulled a chair closer to her right side with her foot, and Weiss immediately went for it.

Without hesitation, she pressed on a panel under the arm, near the shoulder, surprising Yang as the upper side of the arm opened with a click, and as she looked inside, she huffed, glancing up.

“When was the last time you did maintenance?”

“Um…” the blonde furrowed her brows, trailing off as she looked up to the ceiling, trying to remember.

Bristling, Weiss scoffed, shaking her head with a sigh.

“You have to do regular checkup, you know? Just… wiggle your fingers.”

Obedient, Yang moved the fingers, but it was slow and jerky, and Weiss leaned closer, narrowing her eyes to try and find what she was looking for. Carefully, she slipped her fingers inside, feeling the underside of the panel near the elbow, before smiling.

“Ah-ha!” she victoriously let out, and swiftly pressed at a button there, before pushing a switch to the side, and it made Yang jump slightly, the entire arm jolting once.

“What the hell are you-” the blonde started, her features scrunching up.

“Wiggle your fingers for me,” Weiss interrupted, confident as she sat back.

Yang sent her a warning glare, but still did as asked, and soon, her expression melted into surprise, then of joy as her fingers moved as swiftly and smoothly as her real fingers. She even twisted her wrist to make sure, and it responded with the same ease as her fingers. Lavender eyes turned to her, wide with unspoken gratitude, and Weiss smiled, satisfied with herself.

“Your arm must have been knocked or suffered a hit, because the connection to the fingers was almost turned off. But, you really should do a maintenance check.” Then, after a moment, “Wait no, I will do it. That way I won’t be worried. Do you have the toolbox that went with it?”

Instantly, Yang jumped out of her seat, running in the hallway to fetch said toolbox, and returned a few minutes later, finding Weiss jacketless, her bangs pulled back with bob pins and the ring that she usually wore on her left middle finger pulled off.

“Well, now I am _really_ glad Ruby met you,” Yang said as she set down the toolbox on the table, sitting back in her chair. “I guess we can introduce ourselves for real, this time. I’m Yang,” she smiled, extending her left hand, waiting for Weiss to take it. “ _Enchanté_ ,” she added with a charming smile.

“ _Enchanté_ ,” Weiss repeated with a playful grimace. “I’ll stick with nice to meet you.”

It made the blonde laugh and she obediently let Weiss tweak around in her prosthetic, answering Weiss’s questions about her arm and doing what was asked.

“Do you have an idea for what could have knocked your arm?” Weiss asked, distracted as she screwed a part a little tighter.

“Plenty,” the blonde chuckled. “I play football.”

“Oh,” Weiss raised her eyebrows, keeping her attention on the arm. “Ruby told me you had a scholarship to Beacon, too, but didn’t tell me for what. Is it your scholarship?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Hm. Then I suggest even more regular checkups. It must have been a bit frustrating, for your arm to not respond as expected.”

“Yeah, but, you know. At least I have two arms.”

Weiss paused for a second to glance up at Yang, then lowered her eyes to her shoulder, where the metal arm started just under it before returning to work, keeping her questions sealed away as she focused on her work. The silence that followed seemed, to her, a bit tense, but Yang seemed comfortable, looking down at what Weiss was doing curiously.

Soon after, footsteps coming closer, then stopping, along with a sharp gasp made her glance up quickly.

“Weiss,” Ruby finally said, coming closer. “Marry me.”

“What?” she huffed in disbelief without raising her head.

“Woah there, you’re far too young to get married,” Yang swiftly shook her head.

“Okay, fine, but when will I ever find someone else that wanted to be a Huntress, and who can use tools? I mean, even _I_ thought you didn’t know what a screwdriver looked like. And here you are, elbow deep in my sister’s arm.”

“For a second I was afraid of where your sentence was going to finish,” Yang commented, holding back a chuckle.

Ruby snatched the dirty rag that stayed in the toolbox to throw it at her sister’s face, this time making her laugh, while Weiss finally closed the arm’s panel with a sigh, pointedly ignoring the sisters as she put the tools back and took the rug to clean her hand.

“Where did you got it anyway? I didn’t know these were being sold in Vale. Nor that you had that much money, too. These prosthetic are not cheap.”

“Oh, I didn’t pay for it,” Yang answered as she looked at her arm, making her fingers curl in amazement.

“What do you mean, you didn’t pay for it,” Weiss asked after blinking. “This is military grade prosthetic. You can’t _not_ pay for it.”

“It was a gift from our dad’s friend,” Ruby answered, her tone strangely even as she sat at a chair. “The general of Atlas’s military.”

“General Ironwood?” white eyebrows rose high on her forehead, as the sisters shared a glance.

“You know him?”

“My older sister is in the military, and she’s basically his right hand,” she explained. “I met him a few times. He seemed like a decent man, but he never strikes me as the kind who would give priceless prosthetics to his friend’s daughter.”

Yang’s features hardened slightly but Ruby quickly jumped in, sending a quick glance to her sister.

“Why is your sister in Atlas’s military? Wasn’t she supposed to be in Vale’s?”

Weiss stared at her for a moment, and she huffed, shaking her head slightly.

“You still don’t know who I am, don’t you?” she said quietly, but before Ruby could answer, she cleared her throat, straightening her back. “My family isn’t from Vale. I’m from Atlas.”

She waited anxiously for Ruby or Yang to suddenly realise what that meant, waiting for their expression to change, waiting for them to be angry, or… or just anything. Anything at all, really.

Instead, they both sat back in their chairs, nodding.

“Well, that’s why your sister is with Atlas’s military,” Yang only mumbled.

Weiss huffed, bitter. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Before one of them could say something, the door flew open, and someone entered without looking. Another girl, well, young woman, with long black, wavy hair, her golden eyes fixated on her phone as she jungled with her keys, and she closed the door with her foot. But what sent Weiss reeling in her chair were the two tall, tufted ears, on top of her head.

“Hey guys,” the mysterious woman greeted simply.

“Hey Blake, check this out!” Yang happily exclaimed, raising her prosthetic arm and wiggling her fingers. “Ruby’s friend fixed my arm!”

“Really?” she smiled before looking up, her eyes on Yang. “That’s awesome! Who did-”

Blake stopped right then and there as soon as her eyes fell on her, and Weiss sighed discreetly. The gentle smile on her lips vanished, replaced by an angry smirk as the feline ears atop her head pulled back, her golden eyes narrowing on her hardly.

“What is _she_ doing here?” Blake all but spitted, taking a step back, her phone forgotten in her hand.

Yang stood, her movement careful as she extended a peaceful hand towards Blake, confusion clear on her face.

“Wait, what’s going on?” she let out.

With a sharp breath, Weiss stood too, meeting Blake’s eyes head-on.

“I am here as Ruby’s friend,” she said, willing her voice to be soft. “Nothing more.”

The faunus scoffed harshly, then pointed at Ruby with her chin.

“I’m pretty sure you fooled her with that act, right?” she hissed, her ears now pressed flush against her scalp. Then, her golden eyes turned to Yang, and it was with pain in her voice that she softly breathed, “I can’t believe you.”

And before any of them could say something, Blake left, leaving the door open as they heard her climb down the staircase. Weiss sighed again, steeling herself, emptiness filling her as she shrugged her jacket back on, slipped her ring on and moved around the table.

“Weiss, wait,” Ruby called, gently grabbing her elbow. “What’s happening? Do you know Blake?”

She pulled away, trying to not stare too long at Ruby’s crumbling expression as she quickly pulled off the bob pins in her hair.

“I don’t know her, but she knows me,” she finally answered, her voice flat, even. “Well, she knows my family name. And she doesn’t like my family.”

She sighed deeply, ignoring the way her hands were trembling as she put the pins away in her pocket, and she sent a very feeble smile at Ruby.

“I should go.”

“But the movie-”

“I’m sorry, Ruby.”

And she truly was. As she could see Ruby’s expression fall, she walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind her silently, and she climbed down the stairs, suddenly the smell not bothering her at all. By the time it took for her to sit in the driver seat of her car, it seemed like the colors had been drained from her life again. She didn’t even remember the ride back to her apartment, but when she closed the door behind her, she leaned on it, before slowly sinking down on the ground, holding her knees to her chest.

She knew that someday this fairy tale would end. Blissfully living with her friend that didn’t know about her family, about what it meant to be a Schnee. About the blood that tainted it.

Blood did taint the Schnee name. And, according to Blake, and many more like her, that blood was on her hands, too.

She leaned her head on her kneecaps, knowing that Ruby would see her as everyone else did.

Because she was a Schnee.

For the first time in years, Weiss cried, holding herself tightly, hating the way the clock still ticked the seconds by even if she felt like her world have stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit shorter, but, heh. I didn't want to add something at the end.


	3. Chapter 3

She woke up three hours later, curled up at the foot of her door, a headache wrecking her head as she could feel her face almost cracking under the dried tears. Reluctantly, she pushed herself to her feet, then shuffled to the kitchen and opened the faucet, waiting for the water to warm before splashing some in her face.

Feeling a bit better, she turned the faucet off and looked up at herself, grimacing at the sight of her makeup all smudged, and wincing at the sight of her now-apparent scar that ran down over her left eye.

Covering her scar was part of the deal. Nobody had to know that she ever had basic training. No one would be interested by a woman who can defend herself. ‘You have to look like you’re helpless, child. Like you are fragile, and make the men you will be working with feel like they are protecting you. Make them feel strong. They will be easier to manipulate afterward.’

She closed her eyes, letting out a trembling sigh as she lowered her head, pressing her forehead against the counter, her father’s words ringing over and over again in her ears and making her grit her teeth.

This was also part of the deal. Being the pretty puppet he wanted her to be.

She shook her head, feeling her eyes well up again. She didn’t want to be a puppet.

But she had failed the test. It was part of the deal.

She stood, meeting herself in the mirror again. God, how miserable she looked. Never before someone recognising her had shook her to her core like that. But, not many people were Ruby Rose. She truly was one of a kind.

Her one and only friend. Well, not anymore, she guessed.

She dragged her feet to the bathroom, and there she carefully wiped all of her makeup, revealing her scar in all its glory, the pale, rosy line now a faint memory of the bloodied mess it had been. She reached a hand to her face, touching it with the tip of her fingers, feeling it smooth and slick.

Then she heard her phone buzzing, somewhere in the depths of her pocket.

She sighed, knowing who was trying to reach her without looking.

Finally pulling her phone from her pocket, she blinked, shocked to see eighteen text messages from Ruby, and she swiped on the screen to see them.

Ultimately, Ruby only wanted her to answer her phone. But the few last text messages were a bit more relevant than the others.

‘Blake came back and explained to us, about your family. She told us about your family’s history, what they did and what they’re still doing. She told us about the faunus slaves.’

‘She kept calling you ‘the heiress’, so I guess you’re going to inherit the company, right? The Schnee Dust Company?’

‘Okay, your father is, like, the biggest jerk on Remnant, wow.’

‘Are you in International Affairs because you’re the heiress of the SDC?’

‘Weiss, I can understand why you think I would be mad at you, but I’m not. I promise. The only thing I’m upset about is that I’m learning more about you from my sister’s friend, and not from you. But it’ll pass. So could you please answer me?’

Her last message was from two hours ago, and her phone buzzed again as a reminder that she had unread messages appeared, and she tapped on it a little harder than necessary as she gritted her teeth. As she was still pondering if she would answer her, and if she did, what she would say, another text message from Ruby appeared.

‘Weiss! You read my messages! I can see that you did, so don’t ignore me again. If I call you, will you answer? There is no better way to understand each other, right?’

She felt her eye twitch, but she didn’t have time to think about this further because Ruby’s picture widened on the screen, two small phone icons at the bottom of it, one green, one red.

Her thumb hovered over the red phone, but she let it hang there, waiting for the vibrations of the phone to stop as she seemingly ignored the call. It didn’t take long for Ruby’s retaliation.

‘Fine. You’re ignoring me. But I promise you, Weiss, we will talk. Even if I have to find your address and knock at your door until I wake up all your neighbours to do so.’

Weiss snorted bitterly. Her only neighbour was an old man in the apartment below hers, and he was already half-deaf. But still, seeing that Ruby seemed eager to keep contact was… unexpected.

She just wasn’t sure if she was happy or angry about it.

She sighed deeply, her eyes lifting to the top corner of her phone, noticing the time. She had to go to bed. She had classes early, the next day, and she couldn’t just miss it. Her father would know if she did.

So she dragged herself to her bedroom, and left her phone on her nightstand as she dropped in her bed, already feeling her eyes closing.

She was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep.

 

****

 

Unfortunately, she was woken up by her doorbell ringing over and over again, seemingly by an overexcited hand, and Weiss got out of bed, stumbling a bit, realising that she had fallen asleep still fully clothed. Then, she made her way to the door, towards the insistent bell never stopping ringing, and she already knew who it was.

She opened the door roughly, about to yell at Ruby for her to slack on the doorbell, but the other girl slipped in, brushing past Weiss to make sure she wouldn’t be left in the hallway.

Well, Weiss had to give her that. Ruby knew her well.

She closed the door with a quiet groan, telling herself that at least the ringing stopped, and turned around to see Ruby glance around, her eyes as wide as saucers.

“Geez, this place is _huge_! And look at the view! It’s amazing!”

“Thank you, Ruby, for waking me up in the middle of the night to tell me my apartment is amazing,” she grumbled, rubbing at her eyes tiredly.

She could still feel the remnant of a headache, and as she glanced at the clock, she sighed when she realised she would have less than five hours of sleep for the next day.

Ruby only glanced back with an apologetic smile, and she turned around, opening her mouth to say something when she paused, staring at Weiss’s face.

It was at this moment that she remembered she didn’t have her makeup on anymore, and she promptly brought her left hand over her eye, hiding the scar. Ruby tilted her head to the side, arching a single eyebrow at the unhelpful gesture before stepping closer, and delicately wrapped her fingers around Weiss’s wrist, gently pulling her hand away.

Usually, Weiss would have fought teeth and nails to protect this side of her. Because, if anything, _this_ was her. Her true self. The one that wanted to be a Huntress, the one that was scarred and didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. Ruby had always seen the perfect puppet, even thought she had talked to her.

But, as she was exhausted, she let it be. Some part of her reminded her that it was also because it was Ruby, too.

As Ruby examined her scar, she couldn’t remember seeing this expression on her face. Wistful. Understanding.

“Why are you covering it?” Ruby finally asked, her voice low and quiet.

Touches between them had always been kept to a minimum, the occasional hugs or touches to an arm or elbow to catch the other’s attention, but Ruby reached up to her face, gentle, and brushed the back of her fingers over her cheek, where her scar finished. Her fingers were warm on her skin, soft, and the familiarity and intimacy of the touch hit Weiss like a truck.

Maybe she was just touch-starved. She had read about it, a few times on the internet. But now, she knew she wanted to be touched more often. Never in her life someone had touched her so tenderly.

“I have to,” she answered, feeling her voice tight, and she swallowed. “It’s part of the deal.”

Dark eyebrows furrowed, and Ruby’s silver eyes locked with hers.

“What deal?”

“With my father. I failed his test. Now I have to deal with the consequences of trying to defy him.”

“What test?” Ruby asked carefully, slightly pulling away.

But her hand stayed there, now cupping her cheek, her thumb stroking gently, and Weiss swallowed again as she couldn’t help but lean in the touch, closing her eyes.

She must look like the biggest fool. Spilling everything only because Ruby touched her so gently.

“When I wanted to be a Huntress, Father was opposed to the idea,” she explained. “He set up a match with one of our golems; they are the protectors of the family. I had to defeat it if I wanted to go to Beacon, if I wanted to be a Huntress. But I failed. I had to forfeit the match, or I would be dead right now.”

She scoffed, remembering the blade stopping as soon as she shouted, inches from her stomach and about to gore her in half, but the large sword had been pulled back as the knight kneeled.

“This is the result,” she opened her eyes to glance around her apartment. “I was overconfident. Now I have to do as Father says.”

Ruby pulled away completely, but still stared at her, dumbfounded.

“But you don’t like what you’re doing,” she said, slightly accusatory.

Weiss felt herself bristle, and she crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

“Well thank you for the reminder,” she retorted, a little harsher than necessary.

Ruby didn’t seem to mind. Or she just ignored her, as she looked down thoughtfully, and she turned on her heels, walking away towards the living room, and she plopped down on the couch, sinking in the cushions with a sigh.

“So if your father asked you to not change a thing to the company, you would do as he says?”

The silence that followed was enough of an answer as Weiss stopped in front of the panoramic window, her arms still crossed tight over her chest, and she stared outside, stubbornly. She heard Ruby scoff behind her.

“I told Blake that you weren’t like him,” she said quietly. “I made sure she believed me before coming here. Don’t tell me I was wrong, Weiss.”

“No, you’re right. I’m not like him. And I’m glad you could see that,” she said softly, glancing over her shoulder to Ruby. “But I have to obey.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Ruby almost growled, standing up suddenly.

“I can’t just say ‘no’ to my father, Ruby.”

“Yes, you can!” the other girl insisted, her hands curling into fists. “What worst can he do? Make you learn something you don’t like in a place where you don’t know anyone? Oh wait, he’s already doing that!”

“It’s not that simple,” Weiss hissed through her gritted teeth.

“It can be!”

“No! To every action I make, there are consequences!” Weiss snarled as she turned around, glaring daggers at Ruby. “But maybe _you_ don’t know about consequences.”

Ruby stared at her, visibly taken aback, her expression turning from annoyance to surprise as her hands unfolded on each side of her, and Weiss closed her eyes, wetting her lips, the anger that was filling her now turned at herself.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” she murmured, turning to the window.

The silence stretched behind her, and she suddenly felt a presence beside her, realising that Ruby was standing close to her to look outside, silent for a moment.

“Do you want to know why I never talk about my parents?” she asked quietly, her expression somber. “Or why Yang has a prosthetic arm?”

“Ruby, it’s not necessary-”

“Four years ago, after my competition of cross-country, we were driving back home, my parents, Yang and I,” Ruby started, ignoring Weiss. “Because I loved to run. Well, I figured a bit before that that my semblance was speed. But, I just didn’t have to use it, and I could participate. I had these bracers that monitored me all the time, and they could see if I used my semblance or not. Anyway, my dad’s driving, and both Yang and my mom are asleep. Me, I just finished my run. I’m buzzing with energy. So I keep bugging Dad, asking for attention, and it’s night outside, and Dad realised too late that he had been so distracted by me that he’s driving in the wrong lane just as a truck comes up, full speed.”

She paused, taking a deep breath, and Weiss was torn between taking her hand or standing there and feel miserable. She chose the latter.

“I don’t remember the crash,” Ruby frowned slightly, her eyes seemingly hazy. “The only thing I remember is the sound of it. Tires screeching, metal scraping, cars honking and sirens, and someone crying. I’m still convinced it was Yang. Did you know that when you die, the first sense you lose is touch? Then it’s taste. Then smell. Sight. And at last, the sense of hearing.”

“The doctors said Mom died at the first crash,” Ruby continued, and Weiss closed her eyes, feeling her shoulders drooping. “Dad followed when a car following us didn’t have the time to slow down and crashed into us. Yang’s arm has been cut clean between two chunks of metal when the third car crashed. The doctors said that they still don’t know how I’m alive. They said they had to cut through the metal to get to me, they said I was in a kind of metallic box, and that is probably why I’m still alive.”

“But my right side had been crushed in the crash. Apparently, three of my fingers weren’t looking in the right direction, my hip had crumbled and my knee was bending the other way. They replaced my hip with a metal one, and they were able to fix my knee without replacing it, same for my fingers. But now I can’t run more than five minutes, and I can tell when it’s about to rain. I can feel it in my bones, because it aches.”

“So that’s why you’re so slow on rainy days,” Weiss heard herself say.

At least it made Ruby chuckle, even though it sounded bitter.

“The doctors believed I wouldn’t be able to bend my knee again, but I can. I could get an operation for my knee, so it would stop hurting when it rains, but since I can walk, and I don’t have that much money… I manage with what I have. And General Ironwood owed a lot to our parents, and he was kind enough to give Yang her prosthetic.”

A silence fell on them, heavy, and they both stared outside for long minutes.

“I know about consequences, Weiss,” Ruby finally said, her voice low. “I learned it the hard way. But what do your consequences imply? ” She asked, keeping her voice quiet as she looked over at Weiss. “Money? I don’t have much and I’m still living just fine. This super luxurious apartment? There are plenty of others, even though they’re smaller. Your classes? You don’t like them anyway. You can’t spend your life like this. You only have one.”

“It’s different,” Weiss countered weakly. “You had Yang. I’m all alone.”

“False. You have me,” the other girl said firmly, and only now she reached over, brushing the back of her fingers over her arm. “And, you know, you also have Yang by having me. Package deal. Two for the price of one.”

Weiss huffed quietly, a smile ghosting over her lips and she felt Ruby’s hand nudge her arm until she abandoned the fight, letting her gently grab it to pull her into Ruby’s arms. The hugs were scarce, but Weiss had always liked the way Ruby hugged her, her arms wrapped tightly around her, secured, as she leaned her cheek against her temple. Weiss would loop her arms around her waist and rest her head on Ruby’s shoulder, and enjoy the feeling as Ruby would thumb her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Weiss murmured, not really knowing if it was for what she had said or for what had happened to Ruby.

But Ruby only smiled, seemingly understanding.

“I know,” she only said, her hold slightly tightening as she sighed quietly.

“How did you find where I live?”

“Blake has a useful set of skills. Since it was you that I wanted to find, I had to force her hand a bit.”

“I see.”

There was a silence then, but Ruby didn’t seem about to let go. Weiss wasn’t about to complain.

“I like your scar, by the way.”

“You do?” Weiss asked, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Ruby smiled slightly before looking down at her, a glint in her eyes. “You look badass.”

She couldn’t help the laugh bubbling in her throat, and she had to hide her face in Ruby’s neck to make sure she wouldn’t look at her as she laughed.

“I don’t know what that means,” she finally sighed, closing her eyes. “But, thank you, I suppose. I’m glad you like it.”

Ruby snorted, and she squeezed one last time before pulling away, keeping her hands on Weiss’s shoulders a few seconds longer, as if to make sure she was alright.

“What are you gonna do now?” she asked her, her voice quiet and gentle.

Weiss sighed deeply, her eyes flashing to the clock again.

“Right now, I’m going to bed. I will think about it some more tomorrow.”

“Okay,” the other girl nodded, keeping her voice hushed as before.

“You can sleep here for tonight, if you want,” she offered, waving at a hallway. “I have more rooms than I know what to do with.”

“Oh no, it’s okay,” Ruby shrugged slightly, a sheepish smile on her lips. “Yang is waiting for me, downstairs.”

Weiss hummed then, nodding, and they moved to the door, but before Ruby could open it, she rested her hand on the doorknob, gaining Ruby’s attention.

“Ruby, if you were serious about being there for me…” she started, wetting her lips, and instantly the other girl’s expression changed, shifting from soft to serious in a matter of second. “I will think about it. It’s not as simple as you think it is. My father is a man of subtlety and manipulation, and doesn’t take disobedience well. I will finish the semester and then… we’ll see. Alright?”

The smile she received warmed her heart, and Ruby nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and Weiss nodded too, trying to order her thoughts.

“I’m here for you if you need it too, you know that, right?”

“Yes, Weiss,” the other girl huffed with a slight roll of her eyes.

“And thank you for not hating me,” she added with a bitter laugh.

Ruby stepped closer with a small smile, lightly touching her elbow.

“There’s enough people hating you.”

She huffed, followed by a sigh. Well, that was true enough.

“Alright,” she said, opening the door wide in one swift movement and gesturing for Ruby to leave. “Now get out. Every second spent here makes the chance that I will fall asleep on the doormat grow.”

She was glad that it made Ruby laugh as she stepped out, and Ruby was making her way towards the elevator when she stopped, and turned on her heels.

“Weiss?” she called.

As she was about to close the door, Weiss stopped, and poked her head in the hallway, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ruby asked.

She huffed, a small smile pulling her lips.

“Of course.”

And Ruby nodded once, her smile growing larger before she spun back on her lips, and there was a bounce in her steps as she made her way to the elevator. Closing the door after making sure that Ruby had boarded the elevator, Weiss made her way to the kitchen, filling a tall glass with water before she would go to bed, and as she drank it, she looked at herself in the mirror. Finally setting the empty glass aside, she looked at herself, turning her head this way and that, and as her eyes stopped on her scar, one corner of her lips pulled up, already knowing what her first act of rebellion against her father will be.

 

****

 

Her morning classes went by in a wink, and she found herself passing through the double doors that led outside, her eyes searching for the familiar spot of red, and a wave of relief washed over her when she found it. As she made her way over, she couldn’t help the smile on her lips when she saw that Ruby was waiting for her, her pad in front of her as she scribbled down, her head resting in one hand.

She didn’t know why she would ever doubt Ruby. But she was so glad to see her.

Ruby must have felt her stare because she looked up, her pen pausing, and a large smile spread on her lips when her eyes fell on her, and she stood hastily, stumbling a bit as the bench was in the way.

Ruby looked as relieved as she had felt, but her smile was brighter than the sun.

“Weiss! Check this out! I had this project for my class, but I want your opinion on it!”

And the other girl scurried to her side as she dropped her bag on the table, Ruby holding her pad in front of them as she stood close, almost pressing into her side as she babbled over her sketches, pointing this and that, and she looked up at some point, smiling at her, until her expression froze.

She stood on Weiss’s left, and her silver eyes were fixated on her face.

“Weiss, you… Didn’t you tell me it was ‘part of the deal’?” she asked, leaning slightly closer to whisper the last part.

She couldn’t help but smile cheekily, somehow proud to see that even _Ruby_ would be surprised, but she still looked up at her, showing off her scar for the world to see.

“You said you liked it, so I… decided not to cover it anymore.”

The other girl blinked once, twice, before a slow grin pulled her lips, and she nodded slowly, pressing slightly closer.

“Okay,” she breathed.

And Weiss held her stare for a moment longer before returning her attention to the pad in front of her, a warm feeling fluttering around in her stomach and warming her chest as she gave the sketch a once over again.

“You know,” Ruby said after clearing her throat quietly. “I’m still sad you missed your date, yesterday.”

“My date?” she asked, looking up with a frown.

“Wonder Woman on a giant screen. Ring a bell?”

As Weiss sighed deeply, she could see the playful grin spreading on Ruby’s lips, and she shook her head, returning her attention to the pad.

“You are insufferable sometimes.”

But the way Ruby laughed made it pretty clear she knew she already was forgiven, and Weiss shook her head again, a small, helpless smile on her face.

“But we could go tonight,” she still offered, gaining Ruby’s attention instantly. “If it’s alright with you.”

Pumping a fist in the air as she whooped excitedly gave Weiss her answer.

“I was hoping you would say that!”

“But we have to study first,” Weiss warned.

“Whatever you say,” Ruby winked, showing both her thumbs up, beaming.

She huffed, raising her eyes to the sky, but she couldn’t help the giddy chuckle she let out, and she was glad that Ruby joined in.

Whatever it was, both of them seemed glad to still be able to see each other, and when Ruby set a light hand on her back to bring her attention back to the pad, Weiss couldn’t help but lean a little bit more into Ruby.

 

****

 

That night, when she knocked on the door number six, she, again, reached for the crooked number, but before she could reach it the door flew open.

But this time, it was neither Ruby nor Yang.

It was Blake.

The faunus was taller than her, and her expression was hard as she stared down at her without a word, her ears slightly pulled back, and Weiss took a sharp breath, apprehension making her shoulders tensing.

“I’m only here to pick up Ruby,” she said quietly, steeling herself.

Whatever happened, she wanted to enjoy her night with Ruby. She could do this.

“I know,” Blake only said.

She stared at her a bit more before stepping aside, opening the door wider to let her enter, and Weiss carefully did, standing in the corner as Blake closed the door, then moved to sit on the edge of the table, her arms crossed, her piercing golden eyes scanning every inches of her frame.

Weiss glanced around, hoping to find Ruby, or at least Yang near, but they were seemingly alone and she shifted, suddenly nervous about the faunus.

“Ruby talked about you,” Blake suddenly said, her voice still hard and it made Weiss jump slightly. “She said that you were tolerable.”

“Not quite the words she used,” Yang said, suddenly appearing from the hallway to cross the distance between the other hallway.

The faunus’s eye twitched as her lips pinched, her ears dropping by an inch on her head, but she kept her eyes on her, scrutinizing Weiss’s expression with sharp attention.

“Fine. She said that you were a decent human being.”

“Still not the words she used,” Yang appeared again, a few articles of clothing in her hands this time as she crossed the space to get to the hallway leading to her room.

This time Blake clenched her teeth and glared back at Yang’s retreating back, and Weiss couldn’t help the small smile on her lips, holding back the chuckle as she bit her lips, but she saw the faunus sigh quietly before returning her attention on her, and this time she kept her eyes lowered, seemingly hesitant.

“I know people that worked in the Schnee mines,” Blake finally said, and her words hung to her like a dead weight. “I know families that died in them. I have friends in them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she managed to let out.

“Are you really?”

Huffing bitterly, Weiss lowered her eyes, shaking her head.

“What do you want me to say, then?” she asked. “You won’t believe me anyway.”

She could almost feel Blake tensing, and when she looked up again the faunus’s ears were pinned on her scalp, and her eyes were narrowed, but as the silence stretched, both of them hadn’t backed down from the staring contest, and Blake finally sighed, seemingly taking her decision.

She nodded before pushing herself back to her feet, keeping her arms crossed tightly, and she pinched her lips for a moment longer.

“Ruby is a good judge of character, you know?” Blake finally let out, her voice softer than before. “She said you were a good person despite your family. So I’m going to give you a chance.”

Surprised, Weiss raised her eyebrows high on her forehead but still bowed her head.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“This doesn’t mean we will get along,” the faunus warned.”

“Of course. I understand.”

Blake nodded again, before taking in a sharp breath, and let it out slowly. Then, she turned her head to the side, leaning back on the table.

“Ruby! Your friend is here!”

Weiss could almost hear the sarcasm on the word ‘friend’, but she paid no mind when, in the hallway, footsteps were heard, and Ruby appeared, sliding out of it with a large smile.

“Oh Weiss, you’re early again!”

“Hi,” she smiled, some of the tension in her shoulders bleeding away as the other girl stepped closer.

Grabbing her jacket that was hung on the back of a chair and shrugging it on, she almost jumped in her boots, and Weiss didn’t miss the way Blake smiled a small smile as she watched an overly excited Ruby hastily buckling the straps of her boots.

“Alright kids,” Yang said as she appeared from the hallway to join them. “Don’t talk to strangers, say no to drugs, and,” she added, this time pointing at Weiss in a seemingly threatening way. “Bring her back before midnight.”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss snorted.

“You are aware that I’m as old as you, right?”

“Um, who said it was relevant?” the blonde winked.

This time, she raised her eyes to the sky. Ruby straightened her back then, a little breathless but her smile radiant as she looked at Weiss.

“Ready!” she informed.

“Let’s get going, then,” she smiled in return.

As they exited the apartment, Weiss didn’t miss the way Blake pressed closer to Yang as she closed the door, but she didn’t think much of it as Ruby babbled happily. But as soon as the car started, and that she pulled from the side of the road, Ruby fell silent, looking forward attentively, and Weiss turned on the radio, needing something to fill the silence.

The ride to the movie theater wasn’t long, and Ruby seemed to relax as soon as the car was parked, and she almost jumped out of the car, waiting not so patiently for Weiss to catch up.

“This is going to be _so_ awesome!” Ruby was saying, bouncing with every step. “I’ve watched a few trailers as soon as I got home, and now I’m pumped!”

“I can see that,” Weiss mused, a smile pulling her lips as she held the door for Ruby to enter. “So, how do we do this?” she asked, glancing around.

There was a bright board above a counter, with the names of a couple of movies with time under it, and she furrowed her brows as Ruby stopped in her tracks to stare at her, shocked.

“What do you mean? You’ve never been to the movie theater?”

When Weiss only shook her head before stepping closer to Ruby to let people pass, the other girl almost squealed.

“Oh my gosh, Weiss, what kind of life were you living?” she said, but at the single arched eyebrow, she grimaced. “Heh, scratch that. But here, I’ll show you.”

Ruby smiled brightly as she offered her hand, and Weiss took it hesitantly, wondering why this step was required and the other girl squeezed for a second before taking off, dragging Weiss behind her.

She soon discovered why. As Weiss kept glancing around, all the flashy boards and arcades around her distracting, Ruby kept her hand in hers, secured and warm, making sure they wouldn’t get separated in the flow of people that seemed to grow as the minutes went by. But only when they stopped at another counter did Ruby let go of her hand.

“Okay, now what do you want?” Ruby asked, pointing at the hung up menu. “You have to take popcorn, though. That’s the real movie theater experience.”

“Then I’ll take popcorn,” Weiss shrugged, only half listening as a TV that was hung nearby was playing a couple of trailers and thumbnails of movies.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Um…”

“Iced tea?”

“Yes, that.”

“Geez, you’re like a kid,” Ruby chuckled under her breath, reaching for her wallet in the back pocket of her jeans.

That got Weiss’s attention.

“Have you payed the tickets?”

Ruby raised her eyebrows as she gave a few dollar bills to the lady behind the counter after giving her order, and she glanced at her, frowning.

“Yeah. Why?”

“But why are you paying? I know you’re short on money!”

“It’s fine, Weiss,” she chuckled, taking the change with a quick ‘thank you’ to the lady. “Besides, I invited you. I’m paying.”

“But-”

“Fine, next time, you’re paying. Deal?”

Weiss closed her mouth with a clack as she narrowed her eyes to her, before rolling her eyes as Ruby was making the same expression as if she would have kicked a puppy.

“Okay,” she finally gave in, and Ruby’s expression brightened in a flash, now wearing a large smile on her lips.

At this moment, the lady pushed two large bags of popcorn in their direction, along with two cups with the logo of the theater stamped on it, and Ruby gave one bag and one cup to Weiss before taking the others.

“This way,” she said with a jerk of her head.

Weiss followed close, and after having to juggle with what they were carrying to show both their tickets, they were directed towards one of the auditorium, and Ruby hounded the place to find the perfect spot, finally sitting down near the center as ads were being played on the big screen.

“Okay, so,” Ruby sighed as she shifted in her seat. “I put butter in my popcorn but not in yours, so you can try both. Here.”

The other girl offered her popcorn for Weiss to take, and she could see it glisten in the dimmed light, but if Ruby said it was good… She took a few before bringing them to her mouth. As soon as it touched her tongue, she could feel her nose crinkle.

“That’s so salty,” she finally let out, making Ruby laugh. “I can almost feel my arteries shrinking because it’s so salty. But…”

She reached over again, and Ruby tilted the bag for easier access and she took a couple again.

“It’s also… good,” Weiss said, almost surprised herself.

“Welcome to the movies,” Ruby chuckled. “Where the need to eat popcorn equals the need to drink.”

Weiss snorted, but still reached for her cup and took a sip, and she almost sighed in relief as the salty taste was washed away.

“I’m going to ruin my diet,” Weiss sighed quietly, but apparently Ruby heard her, scoffing.

“You don’t need a diet, Weiss, you always look fantastic.”

She almost chocked on her straw as she could feel a blush color her cheeks, thanking the dimly lit room for hiding it as Ruby only munched on her popcorn happily, oblivious to Weiss’s embarrassment.

“Um. Thank you,” she mumbled, clearing her throat.

The already dimmed lights lowered as the background noises of the ads lowered to be muted, and Ruby straightened her head, an excited smile on her lips.

“It’s starting!” she informed, whispering it to Weiss.

Nodding, Weiss sat back on her seat, leaning her elbow on the arm rest as the large screen lit up, and the movie started. Ruby, continuously filling her mouth with popcorn, leaned against the armrest too, never minding that their shoulders were pressed together as her eyes were glued to the screen. But Weiss didn’t think of pulling away.

It felt good, being this close to Ruby. Besides, she could steal her warmth that way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, there's a lot of time skip in this one. But hey! It's fine, right?

“You really don’t need to walk me to the door, you know?”

Weiss looked over at Ruby, furrowing her brows.

“I only want to make sure you get home safe.”

“It’s literally across the street, Weiss,” Ruby scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You can still watch me from your car.”

But she only shook her head as they crossed the street, and held the door of the building open for Ruby, and the other girl only sighed as she entered, climbing the stairs without another objection. Weiss followed, chuckling at Ruby’s defeated expression, and Ruby opened the door wide, leaving it open for Weiss to enter.

But she stopped in the doorframe, finally straightening the number on it, only for it to slide back to its crooked position.

“Oh yeah no, don’t mind it,” she heard Yang say, and as she looked over, the blonde was waving a hand in front of her. “It never stays straight.”

“Oh,” Weiss nodded, before glancing at her wristwatch then showing it to Yang, tapping on it a few times. “Home before midnight, as we said.”

Well, it was only a few minutes before midnight, but they still made it.

The blonde raised her eyebrows high on her forehead from her seat at the table, and they could hear the long, suffering sigh Ruby let out before Yang snorted.

“I was kidding,” the blonde smirked.

“Oh,” Weiss frowned then, lowering her eyes.

“Told you,” Ruby chirped in, shrugging her jacket off.

“Hush,” she whispered to her.

Yang laughed as she stood and came closer, smiling at them as Ruby quickly got rid of her boots.

“How was the movie?”

“Awesome!” Ruby instantly answered.

“It was fun,” Weiss smiled, nodding.

The blonde nodded too, her smile inching larger as her lavender eyes fell on her, and she rested her hands on her hips.

“Well, you’re still passing my test,” Yang announced, and Ruby grunted quietly. “Now I know I can count on you.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, why are you doing this?” the younger sister almost whined as she made her way deeper into the kitchen, towards the living room.

“Because I love you, Rubble, that’s why I’m embarrassing you so much.”

A loud groan was the only answer, and it made Weiss chuckle as she stepped back.

“I should get going,” she said, nodding briefly at Yang in lieu of words. “See you tomorrow!” she let out a bit louder, talking to Ruby.

“Yeah! Be safe! Text me when you get home!”

 

****

 

Weiss spent the weekend studying, the steadily approaching exam season coming far too fast in her taste, but Ruby still kept sending her text messages, along with pictures of a dog. Apparently, their uncle had dropped the dog before returning to his travels, as Ruby explained.

‘Zwei’ was the name of the dog, as she learned on Monday, when Ruby couldn’t stop babbling about him, showing pictures and videos to Weiss, making her make atrocious cooing sounds in the middle of the class when they were supposed to work, and they both chuckled sheepishly when the teacher stood in front of their desks, frowning down at them.

Still, it was when they were having lunch, on Tuesday, that Ruby invited Weiss over to meet the Zwei.

“Oh, I would love to, Ruby, but I can’t tonight,” she gently declined, poking around in her salad with a sigh.

“Aww… Even if we study first? You could come over to study,” Ruby offered, never deterred.

Weiss chuckled then, shaking her head.

“I already will be studying first. I can’t tonight, because I have a date, tonight.”

It took a moment for Ruby to register what she had said, and she almost chocked on her juice, looking up at Weiss’s excited smile.

“A-A date?” she croaked, clearing her throat painfully. “With who?”

“One of my colleagues in my economy class,” Weiss sighed dreamingly. “He finally asked me after courting me for the whole semester.”

“‘He’?” Ruby repeated, furrowing her brows. “But you’re-”

“Okay, you really need to stop with that,” she warned. “I’m not gay.”

The other girl’s mouth closed with a clack as she seemed to be mulling it over, but she finally looked down on her sandwich, picking at it.

“Okay. Fine.”

Sighing quietly, Weiss took a moment to observe her friend attentively, letting the silence stretch. The other girl had her eyebrows knitted together, and her lips were pressed in a thin, pale line as she stared hardly at her food. Ruby was angry.

But before she could ask why, Ruby looked up, her expression changing as a small smile pulled her lips, seemingly encouraging.

“So, how is he?”

“Who?” Weiss asked, slightly confused.

“The guy, your date!” Ruby sighed, raising her eyes to the sky, as if the answer was written in it. “How is he? He must be something if you want to date him.”

“Oh,” Weiss blinked, before clearing her throat. “Yes, well. He is very charming, and handsome too. He is also very intelligent, he’s a transferred student; he comes from Haven, and…”

Ruby only nodded as Weiss kept on babbling, telling her where they were going for dinner, and describing the perfect date to her.

 

****

 

The next day, when Weiss sat at the table, Ruby barely looked up from her pad.

“Hey,” she greeted, at least.

“Hi.”

“How was the date?” she asked, seemingly not interested at all as she scribbled on her pad.

“Horrible.”

That got Ruby’s attention.

“What happened?”

“Well, I had to go get him because he doesn’t have a car, but I can understand that. Then, he spent the _whole time_ talking about himself, and I swear I only had to nod and he kept going! I stopped listening after the first two hours!”

“Two hours?” the other girl snorted. “You’re good. I would have stopped listening after fifteen minutes.”

“And I had to pay for the meal, because he forgot his wallet! I mean I don’t really mind, but isn’t it customary for the person inviting to pay?”

She sighed irritably as Ruby chuckled, apparently in a better mood already.

“What’s his name, anyway? You never said it yesterday.”

“Neptune,” she almost grunted as she pulled her water bottle from her bag.

And Ruby chocked on air at the name, her face taking a few shades of red as a myriad of expression quickly shifted on her face.

“Weiss, you can’t date Neptune! He flirts with every girl!”

“How do you know?” Weiss asked, slightly taken aback that Ruby knew who he was.

“Neptune is Sun’s best friend, and Sun is Blake’s best friend, and Blake is Yang’s best friend!”

“Okay, but how-” Weiss started, before Ruby suddenly perked up, her face scrunching up.

“Did you invite him here?” she asked, a bit of accusation in her voice as her eyes were fixated on something behind Weiss.

“What? No! This is our spot, why would I-”

“Hey, snow angel,” a charming voice sounded behind her, and her eyes widened.

Meeting Ruby’s eyes for a second, she turned around, a fabricated smile stamped on her lips as she looked up at Neptune, the young man flashing a smile at her as he was coming closer. He stopped a few paces away, his attention entirely on Weiss as he reached for something in his jacket.

“So I was thinking about it, and since our date was fun, I thought we should do it again,” he said, pulling what seemed to be two tickets from his inside pocket. “So I thought that next time, we could go see a band! They’re my favorite, and what’s better that my favorite band, the most gorgeous lady at my arm and me?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Weiss smiled politely, noticing Ruby rolling her eyes in the corner of her eyes. “I have family business.”

He frowned.

“But you don’t even know when the show is?”

“I really can’t, Neptune,” Weiss insisted, this time with a subtle grimace. “Father would never want me to go see a band.”

“Oh,” he looked down for a second, before looking up again, his smile as charming as ever. “If I talked with your father, then maybe-”

“Neptune,” Ruby interrupted, annoyance clear in her voice. “She said no.”

Neptune looked up at her, blinking once, before smiling at her.

“‘Sup, Ruby,” he greeted with a tilt of his head. “You wanna go see my favorite band with me?”

“Not sure Yang would like it,” Ruby said confidently as she leaned her elbows on the table, a small smile pulling her lips.

Her smile inched larger when his expression fell, and he clutched his tickets with a trembling hand.

“Yang,” he whispered, horror spreading on his face. “Um. I think I’ll go.”

He turned on his heels and made a few steps until he glanced over his shoulder, giving a quick nod.

“Ladies,” he said as goodbye, before scurrying away.

Weiss blinked at his retreating back, before turning back to Ruby to see her very pleased smile as she picked up her sandwich.

“What was that?” Weiss asked, still shocked from Neptune’s reaction at Ruby’s sister’s name.

“One time, Yang invited friends over, and it was like, Blake, Sun and Neptune. He was flirting with me, and Yang… ‘Told’ him not to do that. He’s scared of her, now.”

“Huh.”

Weiss only nodded, understanding the situation. So far, Yang had always been kind to her, but she knew she never wanted to see Yang upset. Even more if it was about Ruby. The blonde was really protective of her sister.

“So, do you have plans for tonight?” Ruby asked, bringing Weiss’s attention back. “You could meet Zwei and we could study together.”

“I can’t, tonight.”

One dark eyebrow arched, but Ruby kept her eyes on her lunch.

“Another mysterious date you didn’t tell me?”

“No,” Weiss rolled her eyes. “And what’s with the attitude? I really can’t, tonight. I have to call Father.”

Silver eyes looked up then, both her eyebrows raised this time.

“What about after?”

“I’m… not very fun to be around, after I call him,” she insisted, keeping her eyes lowered as she shifted slightly.

Her expression softening, Ruby reached over, lightly resting her hand over Weiss’s, her thumb gently rubbing.

“You know I’m here if you need it,” she gently reminded. “A call or a text, and I’ll be there.”

“I know,” Weiss sighed, smiling up at Ruby. “Don’t worry.”

 

****

 

Lying on her bed, Weiss was staring at the ceiling for… she didn’t even know how long. The ticking of the seconds passing by was hypnotic, and it was easy to just get drowned on the emptiness she felt.

She was drained. Emotionally. Her father knew about the fact that she wasn’t covering her scar anymore, and that she started hanging out with this low-life girl. He was mad, of course, but at the same time he was always upset about something. She only had to shut up and listen as her father would tell her how irresponsible she was being, and how worthless she was to him by acting like that. How worthless she was, period.

And so, she just laid there, wondering why she gave all her time and energy for this. For him. Why she would wake up every day to go to a place where people hated her, or feared her, when the arena where the Huntsmen and Huntresses were training was right under her nose.

Her father had accepted for her to study at Beacon exactly for that reason. To throw it at her face that she never was strong enough to achieve her dream.

Tears prickled in her eyes, and she was far too tired to blink them away. Why would she bother anyway? She didn’t have to be strong. She was alone, like she will always be. It was the perfect time to cry, when nobody could see this armour, this perfect puppet cracking and crumbling down.

Alone.

Without the puppet, she really was worthless.

She heard her phone buzzing, somewhere. She remembered leaving it on her nightstand. But she didn’t reach for it. Ruby didn’t need…. This. Her.

The clock never stopped ticking, time going by without her really knowing or noticing. Everything around her seemed gray and lifeless. The tall white walls, white furniture, everything untouched… As if nobody lived here.

In her ears, this white noise, constant, made her deaf to the rest of the world, except for the clock that kept ticking, and ticking, and ticking…

A hand suddenly shaking her shoulder made her blink, and she looked to the side to see a familiar face as someone was kneeling beside the bed. Wide silver eyes filled with worry stared at her as her mouth moved, but the white noise in her ears blocked every sound like cotton.

“Ruby,” she felt herself say, her voice trembling.

The other girl smiled in relief, and she took her hand, Ruby’s skin feeling so warm against her ice-cold fingers, and it was enough to bring a bit of life in her body, the noise in her ears slowly dissipating, and she finally could hear what Ruby was saying.

“…you okay? Weiss? What happened? Come on, talk to me!”

“Ruby,” she said again, and when her eyes welled up she didn’t try to hide it.

The other girl smiled again, her face scrunched up in worry, and she seemed to hesitate as she chewed on her lip for a moment.

“Just give me a sec,” Ruby mumbled, and she hastily got rid of her boots.

Climbing on the bed, Ruby delicately pressed closer, wrapping her arms around Weiss and tucking her head under her chin, and Weiss curled up against Ruby, clutching at her clothes to keep her there.

“I’m sorry you’re seeing me like this,” she couldn’t help but say as a sob racked her chest.

“No, it’s okay,” Ruby assured, her voice soft and gentle. “It’s okay. Let it out. Let it all out.”

 

****

 

“Why are you here?”

Sniffing quietly, Weiss shifted to be more comfortable, enjoying the way Ruby kept rubbing her back and making sure she was tucked in the crook of her shoulder.

“You weren’t answering my texts,” Ruby answered, keeping her voice soft and quiet. “I even called you three times. I was worried, so I took a chance and… your door was unlocked. I knocked and rang the bell three times.”

Weiss only hummed, snuggling closer. So close like this, she could hear Ruby’s heart beating in her chest, slow, steady. Strong.

“Is it always like this, after you talk to your father?”

She let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes.

“He knows I’m hanging out with you. He also knows that I’m not covering my scar, too. Saying that he was upset is putting it lightly.”

“Fuck him. If he manages to get you like this, then he _really_ doesn’t deserve that you listen to him.”

Her arms had tightened around her, an angry and protective note in her voice making Weiss warm to her core, and again, she felt her eyes prickle.

“Thank you,” she breathed in her neck. “Thank you for being here.”

“Anytime, Weiss,” Ruby sighed, nuzzling her hair gently. “Anytime.”

 

****

 

She woke up slowly, a headache wreaking havoc in her brain as the sound of her alarm seemed to split it a bit more with each insistent ‘beep’. Blindly reaching for it, feeling around her nightstand to make this nightmare cease, her fingers bumped on a piece of paper that poked from under her phone, and after tapping on the screen of her phone to stop the alarm, she brought the paper closer, blinking to clear her vision.

It was also at this moment that she realised that she was alone, and still fully clothed. Goodness, her face was sure to look like a mess.

But she recognised Ruby’s hasty and sloppy handwriting on the paper, for only her name was on the front, and she unfolded the paper, sitting up to flick the bedside lamp on.

‘ _Good morning, Weiss! I’m sorry I left you alone, but Yang was getting worried, so I had to leave. I hope you feel better! I had brought chocolate with me yesterday, because I figured you would need whatever comfort food after talking to your father, but since you fell asleep soon after a came over, I left them in your fridge, that way they wouldn’t melt. Anyway, you take it easy today. And I don’t want to hear you apologise! There’s no need to apologise!_

_I will see you today? I really hope you feel better._

Je t’aime, mon amie!

 _Ruby._ ’

She brought the paper to her chest, pressing it over her heart as she fell back on the mattress, a soft smile pulling her lips. The same warm, fuzzy fluttering she had felt before they went to see the movie was back, doing acrobatic flips in her stomach, and she knew that Ruby didn’t have to worry.

She was feeling so much better, now.

 

****

 

The next days, soon morphing into weeks, went by in a flash, a mix of classes and study sessions more dizzying than the other, but amidst this chaos Weiss found little moments of peace, in the form of Ruby Rose.

The way Ruby would smile at her, with one that was only for her. The way her simple presence would calm her down, every touches from Ruby felt reassuring and comforting, and every text messages, even in French, would make her smile like an idiot.

She soon realised that Ruby had been right, all along. Because she was gay. She was absolutely falling for Ruby.

As they were lying down on the grass, basking in the sun side by side, they were contemplating how blue the sky was. They just had their last exams of the semester, and they were both exhausted beyond words as a bird flew far away above them, both of them enjoying the soft breeze as people kept rushing away, finished with their exams too. But they didn’t move, keeping only a distance of a few inches between them, and time slowly went by.

The sun was high in the sky when Ruby lolled her head to the side towards her, and she smiled softly, the sun illuminating the silver of her eyes.

“Wanna come over to meet my dog? And maybe watch a movie?”

And Weiss smiled then, locking her eyes with hers.

“I’d like that,” she answered in a breath, and Ruby’s smile inched larger.

 

****

 

“Look at _you_ , you are _so_ handsome and I love you!” Weiss was cooing, peppering kisses all over the black and white head of Ruby’s dog.

And she continued cooing soft words at Zwei as Ruby, Blake and Yang stared at her, amused as Weiss cradled the dog in her arms to hug him closer, and Yang leaned over at Ruby, keeping her eyes on Weiss.

“Is she okay?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah, she just… had a rough semester. Let her have this,” Ruby whispered back, grimacing playfully.

“Well, if she can keep Zwei away from me, I’ll be forever grateful,” Blake muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“If you really don’t like Zwei this much, why are you always here?” Ruby asked, furrowing her brows.

The faunus blinked, then glanced at Yang very quickly.

“Because I like it here,” she finally answered, shrugging.

“Oh, you want to go?” Weiss pouted as Zwei was almost throwing himself out of her arms, and she reluctantly set him down. “Come back to me soon! I love you!”

The dog only trotted to the living room before curling up on the small cushion made for him, and laid down with a deep, pitiful sigh. It made all of them chuckle.

“I think you loved him too much,” Yang playfully said, winking at her.

“Well, that is unfortunate,” Weiss sighed as she stepped closer, then touched Ruby’s arm lightly. “He’s lovely.”

“I can’t believe that I sometimes forget how much you love dogs,” the other girl only shook her head, chuckling.

“Now that this is dealt with, what movie are we watching?” Blake asked, already making her way to the living room.

As they made their way there, Weiss couldn’t help but groan internally. Yang wasn’t supposed to be there, but she apparently had finished her practise earlier and Blake had stick along, and so both of them were already at the apartment before Weiss and Ruby arrived.

So, it was a bit awkwardly that the four of them took place on the couch, in this order. Blake, Yang, Weiss and Ruby.

Being stuck between the sisters, Weiss was a bit uneasy, but she was told that if Ruby and Yang sat side by side, they would keep bothering each other. And so, Weiss accepted her fate with grace, and a little grimace.

As the movie started, Weiss glanced to her right, and noticed that Ruby looked bored already, her chin resting on her hand as her elbow rested on the armrest. She, too, must have wanted them to be alone. Well, Weiss could dream.

Still, they were pressed together, even though it wasn’t by choice. Ruby’s right hand was resting motionless on her thigh, only inches away from Weiss’s right hand. It took a good portion of the movie for her to gather the courage to shift, and brush her fingers against Ruby’s hand, noticing right away when she suddenly perked up. Ruby glanced at her, but Weiss kept her head facing forward, feeling her heart hammering in her chest as Ruby looked down, and nudged her hand, hesitantly sliding one of her fingers between Weiss’s, and when she only shifted for Ruby to have better access, she heard the other girl gasp very quietly as she looked up at her again, this time a very large smile on her lips.

Her heart was hammering so hardly against her ribcage, she was sure it could be _seen_.

And when she looked down to see their fingers intertwined, she felt her heart stuttering a bit, before it resumed its crazy beating.

She could see Ruby sitting with her back straight beside her, and the stupid grin that was stamped in her face as she watched the movie.

She felt Yang shifting beside her, and suddenly she remembered what Ruby had told her about Neptune, how Yang had been mad at him when he flirted with Ruby, and she glanced at her, wondering if she would be mad if she saw them holding hands. But instead, the blonde only seemed to lean into Blake, and her left hand that was trapped between them was very discreetly caught in Blake’s.

Weiss furrowed her brows. Well, that was strange. Sure, she didn’t know Yang nor Blake as much as Ruby did, but Yang had never strike her being discreet about anything. So why were they almost hiding the fact that they were holding hands?

Blake was over almost all the time. She remembered the way they seemed nervous as they both scurried to their feet when Ruby had opened the door, earlier. She could also remember other times when Blake and Yang were mysteriously alone, and it didn’t take her that much longer to understand that Blake and Yang were together.

But why were they hiding it?

The movie ended with her not even remembering any of it. It was almost dinner, and she could hear the rumble of Yang’s stomach, very soon followed by Ruby’s, and the blonde stood as she stretched, moving to stop and eject the movie as she did.

“Are you guys in for another movie? I could go get pizza,” she offered, smiling down at Ruby and seemingly oblivious that her hand was glued to Weiss’s, or that Weiss’s face seemed to be the same color as Ruby’s jacket. “We’ll celebrate the end of your first semester like it should! With pizza!”

“I’m down,” Blake instantly accepted, and she leaned over to high-five the blonde when Yang presented her hand.

“Me too,” Weiss managed to let out, and Yang made a thumb up at her.

“Cool. Rubes, come on,” the blonde waved at her sister as she made her way towards the living room.

“Wha-Why me?” the younger sister complained as she turned around to make puppy eyes at her sister. “Why not Blake?”

“Because we can only be two on my bike, and I know what Blake likes, and _you_ know what Weiss likes. Now stop complaining and come here.”

Pouting, Ruby grumbled under her breath as she squeezed Weiss’s hand one last time before letting go, and right before they were about to leave, Yang paused, her eyes on Blake.

“Be good,” she warned, and the faunus rolled her eyes.

Then the door clicked shut, and Weiss was left alone with Blake. She could feel the faunus’s eyes on her as she brushed her skirt, straightening it, keeping herself busy and trying to ignore how silent it was without either of the sisters.

“I never thought you would have a soft spot for Ruby,” Blake finally said, apparently completely at ease as she stretched her leg to rest her foot on the low table. “I saw you holding hands.”

“So?” Weiss bristled, her hands gripping the fabric of her skirt.

But the faunus only smiled, honest, and Weiss relaxed.

“I’ve never seen Ruby like that,” Blake confessed, shifting in her seat. “Well, she had been talking about you quite a bit, but lately she only talked about you.”

“Oh,” she only let out, still brushing her skirt and feeling her cheeks color.

The faunus only chuckled, but didn’t press the issue as a silence fell on them, and Weiss toyed with the hem of her skirt for a moment, before taking a chance.

“You and Yang are together, right?”

But as soon as she felt Blake tense, she regretted saying something.

“How do you know?” the faunus asked, her voice tight.

“I… I just figured it. Look, never mind, I didn’t mean-”

Blake sighed sharply, running a hand in her hair as she let her head fall back.

“We made sure we were subtle,” she said quietly, before lolling her head to the side. “Does Ruby know?”

“No,” Weiss furrowed her brows. “Well, I don’t think so. Why?”

“Good. Don’t tell her.”

“But why?” Weiss blinked, surprised.

“Because Yang doesn’t want to tell her. Well, not yet,” Blake added with a slight raise of her eyebrows. “She… She’s not sure Ruby would be okay with this. She said that Ruby was very protective of her, and that she might react badly if she realised she had to ‘share’ Yang with me.”

“I don’t think Ruby would mind,” Weiss informed, her voice gentle.

“That’s what I keep telling Yang, but, ah,” the faunus sighed again, shrugging helplessly. “They’ve been through a lot. I can understand that they’re protective of each other. I just don’t want to cause a scene.”

Weiss opened her mouth to say something when the door flew open, a breathless Yang almost stumbling as she rummaged through the couple of jackets that were hanging on the hat rack, before she let out a victorious cry.

“I forgot my wallet!” she exclaimed, before she noticed that the other two were turned to each other and she leaned her shoulder in the doorframe. “Aw, were you two talking? Are you becoming friends?”

And when both of them rolled their eyes in synch, it made Yang laugh.

 

****

 

“It was fun! We should do that again sometime,” Ruby smiled as they were climbing down the stairs, for Ruby had insisted to walk her to her car.

“Absolutely,” Weiss approved, remembering how good it had felt to be so close to her, and holding her hand.

Just thinking about it was making her heart stutter again. She really had to get a hold on herself.

“And since the semester is finished, I guess we both have a lot of free time now, right?”

“Yes,” she nodded as she pushed the door open, holding it for Ruby.

They made the few steps required to reach the sidewalk in silence before Ruby stopped then, looking around with a sigh.

“Well, I’m not going to cross the street, if not you might just walk me back to the door again,” Ruby said teasingly, her smile playful, and Weiss lightly slapped her arm in response, making her laugh. “Bye Weiss! Text me when you get home, okay?”

Ruby waved her hand, smiling her beautiful smile, and it took Weiss only a second to take her decision. She stepped closer, and Ruby, after a second of surprise, opened her arms, thinking she was going for a hug. Well, she was going to be really surprised.

Gently taking hold of her hand, Weiss had to rise on the tip of her toes to close the distance between them, and her lips muffled the sound of surprise Ruby made as she kissed her. But when she felt Ruby’s hand on her waist, responding to the kiss, Weiss closed her eyes, one of her hands snaking up to cup Ruby’s cheek.

They parted after a moment, both of them panting, and Weiss could positively say that her ribcage must be bruised right now, for how hard her heart was beating against it, seemingly wanting to jump out of her chest. She opened her eyes as she swallowed, nervous, but was only met by a very large, and very pleased smile.

“Told you you were gay,” Ruby only said.

She had to fight hard to not laugh at that, and she bit her lips as she pulled away.

“Alright, then you can forget this ever happened,” she said, turning on her heels, pretending she was leaving.

“No, no wait!” Ruby laughed as she took her hand and stepped in front of her. “I don’t want to forget it. Actually, I kinda want to do it again.”

“‘Kinda’?” Weiss repeated, playful, as she arched a single eyebrow.

Humming, Ruby nodded, making their joined hand swing a bit as she stepped closer.

“Okay, I want to kiss you again,” she quietly admitted, locking her eyes with Weiss’s.

Ruby leaned over as she set a hand on her waist, gently pulling her closer as their lips met again, but they didn’t have time to appreciate it longer than that when a muffled whooping sound was heard, and they instinctively looked up, at the top right balcony, to see Yang stamped in the glass door and holding both her thumbs up, while Blake was only shaking her head beside her, seemingly pinching the bridge of her nose.

With a violent blush Ruby pulled away, her features hardening as she stared up.

“What the _fuck_ , Yang?!”

Slightly embarrassed, it still made her chuckle as she gently grasped Ruby’s chin to peck her cheek, eliciting another wave of whooping upstairs, and she made her way to her car, waving at Blake and Yang, and after waving at her, Ruby went through the door, climbing the stairs two by two.

Weiss laughed, giddy, alone in her car, because she could tell that the first thing the sisters were going to do was high fiving.

When she went to bed, that night, Weiss had a stupid grin stamped on her face, and she reached a hand to her lips, still feeling the ghost of Ruby’s soft ones, and she covered her face with her hands, curling up in bed as she couldn’t stop giggling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came out of my vacation, so that's why this one took a bit more time to be posted.
> 
> Thanks a lot for reading, and for commenting too!

She kept her eyes closed, hoping that this wasn’t just a fever dream she was having. The feeling of Ruby’s lips on hers, their tongues swirling and fighting for dominance as she pressed into Ruby. Or, Ruby pressed into her. It was hard to say when this entire moment was so… For the moment she was at a loss of words as she panted between a kisses, but Ruby quickly leaned in again, and she couldn’t help the hum of pleasure when she felt the other girl gently pressing her against the wall, and Weiss’s hands slipped under Ruby’s open jacket, feeling her over her clothes, and she even dared let her hands roam lower and lower on Ruby’s back, feeling the soft fabric of Ruby’s skirt and the firm curve of-

“You better hope I’m not seeing that hand where I think I’m seeing it, Schnee,” a voice resounded, making both of them jolt.

Blushing violently, Weiss blinked her eyes open as she glanced around, recognising the dimly lit hallway and the door with the crooked number six, seeing the door barely inched open and one narrowed lavender eye observing them. But before she could say something, Ruby, her face as red as her jacket, kicked the door, earning a yelp of surprise.

“Hey!” they heard Yang complain, inside.

“How long have you been standing there?” Ruby asked, embarrassment making her voice harsh.

There was a beat of silence as the door opened wider to reveal Yang, one of her hands on her hip.

“I just got here.”

“See through the lie, Ruby,” they heard a voice inside. Blake.

The blonde’s face twisted, and she looked over her shoulder, an expression of betrayal on her face.

“You’re supposed to have my back, Blake!”

“Not when you’re like that,” the faunus smoothly answered as she kept her attention on her book, turning a page calmly. “Give her some space, Yang.”

“Yeah! I’m not a kid anymore! Weiss can touch my butt if she wants!”

“But I just want to make sure you’re okay, Rubble!” the blonde complained, using a whiney tone. “Weiss is your first girlfriend; I just want to make sure she’ll respect you if you say no.”

“Of course she will!” Ruby protested, her face turning an even darker shade of red.

“Of course I will!” Weiss said forcefully at the same time, feeling her face burning.

They both shared a glance, and Weiss felt her heart drop.

“Ruby you… You have a little something on your face…” Weiss mumbled then, clearing her throat.

The other girl raised her eyebrows as she brought a hand to her face, not knowing that she had Weiss’s lipstick smeared across her lips, jaw and neck, clear evidence of Weiss’s wandering mouth, and as she reached up, trying to clean a bit with her thumb in vain, she heard Yang click her tongue as she leaned her shoulder in the frame, seemingly even more amused at Weiss’s ever growing embarrassment.

“You should… You should take care of that,” she stumbled on her words, clearing her throat to try and regain a bit of dignity.

But as soon as Ruby entered, the sound of Blake’s laugh sent another wave of heat to her face.

“Oh, wow, this is priceless,” the faunus wheezed as she wiped the few tears that fell. “I guess the date went well, then?”

And Ruby only grumbled under her breath as she went to the kitchen’s faucet to turn it on, then proceeded to splash water in her face and rubbing her face vigorously, and Weiss was about to say her goodbyes then, holding her purse with a vice grip as if this alone could get her out of here, but Yang stepped in the hallway with her, already shrugging a jacket on.

“Hey, I’m just gonna go down with you for a bit; I heard your car making weird noises, and I just want to make sure it’s nothing.”

“My car?” Weiss repeated, raising her eyebrows. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Well, if you weren’t so distracted by licking my sister’s tonsils, maybe you would.”

They heard a chocking noise as Ruby seemed about to drown in the sink and the warm chuckle of Blake, but Weiss only clacked her mouth close, forgetting every protest that was coming.

“Fair enough,” she mumbled. “Alright.”

Without another word, they made their way back down, and Weiss knew what was happening. She knew her car wasn’t making any noise. It was brand new, for crying out loud. But she guessed that Yang needed to give a reason, so that Ruby wouldn’t find it weird. She just didn’t think that Yang would really go through with the act.

As soon as they stepped out, Yang let out an impressed whistle while Weiss searched for her keys.

“Geez, I want to ride around in a Mercedes too!”

Weiss huffed, finally finding her keys and unlocking her car with a press of a button, but Yang immediately went to the front of the car, knocking twice on the trunk.

“Open her up.”

With a roll of her eyes, Weiss opened the driver’s door, and pressed the designated button, and Yang was already pulling it up and open, lifting the bar to hold it open. She closed the door and made her way across, standing beside the blonde as Yang swept the engine with her eyes.

“You know there’s probably nothing wrong with the car, right?” the blonde finally said, quietly.

“Of course. I wasn’t _that_ distracted.”

Yang huffed but still smiled, and she reached over to something, twisting a cap.

“I have to be honest with you. Ruby dating someone isn’t something I’m comfortable with. And yes, I know it’s because I’m overprotective, alright? It’s just… I don’t want her to get hurt. In any way.”

She sighed, pulling to the cap to check the level of oil there, frowning down at it.

“But so far you’ve been nothing but trustworthy, so it… puts my mind at ease, a bit. I know I can trust you. I know Ruby can, too. So, just… Don’t make me think otherwise, alright?”

“Of course,” Weiss gently agreed, looking up at the blonde as she reaching into her jacket’s pocket to take the dirty rag, there. This must be the jacket she would use to tinker on her bike. “But… And I don’t want to upset you, but it might be wise for you to acknowledge that Ruby isn’t a child, anymore.”

Yang chuckled as she slid the cap back in its place, apparently satisfied with it, and moved a little to the side, leaning over to check something.

“I know,” she murmured. “God, I know. I just… She’s my everything, you know?”

Her smile was soft and tender, and she paused for a few seconds to let out a deep sigh, before reaching in her pockets and pulling out a small flashlight, that she clicked open to check something else.

“And um… Blake told me that you figured it out, about us,” she finally said, and Weiss perked up beside her, the soft tone from before vanishing to leave place for a serious one. “She told you not to tell Ruby, and I insist.”

“But why? Like I told Blake, I’m sure Ruby wouldn’t mind.”

“Ruby…” Yang straightened up to lean her hands on the edge of the trunk, wetting her lips as she seemingly searched for the right words. “Is one of the most complex person I have ever met. Ever since…” she trailed off, glancing quickly at Weiss.

“The accident?” she finished for Yang, answering Yang’s silent question as the blonde’s shoulders relaxed a bit.

“Ever since the accident, Ruby has never been the same. Well, me neither, but… There’s a reason why Ruby has no friends. Besides you, at least. She just didn’t want friends. She told me that I was all she would ever need, and when Blake was around more, it took a while for her to warm up to Blake. And then, she met you.”

“I remember, the first time she met you, she told me that you were interesting. And that your French was atrocious,” she added with a smile and a chuckle, and Weiss raised her eyes to the sky. “But you got her attention. It was rare that someone would catch her attention like that. Usually it only happens with weapons. And she waited for your call, knowing that you would need help with your questions.”

“Then the next day I think, you went to tour her around Beacon, and _now_ you had her entire attention. Like, she babbled about you for hours. She told me that you wanted to become a Huntress?”

“Once upon a time,” Weiss huffed bitterly, lowering her eyes to the engine.

“Yeah, I feel you,” the blonde chuckled. “I wanted to be one, too. But after the accident, someone had to take care of Ruby. I mean, I probably still could be a Huntress now, but… You don’t live old in that line of work. I know Ruby would be worried all the time about me.”

Yang sighed again, pausing as she returned the flashlight to her pocked and set her hands on her hips, before looking at Weiss, a strange look in her eyes.

“What I’m trying to say is that Ruby doesn’t really take change well, and… Blake has been through some rough stuff too, and I know she doesn’t want the drama. Blake and Ruby are really good friends now, and I know she would be devastated if Ruby was mad at her for being with me.”

“So, what? You will leave her in the dark? For how long?”

“Until I’m sure Ruby’s going to be okay with it.”

Weiss only sighed, shifting her weight on her other leg as she stared back at the car, toying with her keys for a moment.

“Fine,” she finally conceded. “Your secret is safe with me. But I still think you should tell her.”

Yang smiled then, and she rested her left hand on Weiss’s shoulder to squeeze it for a second.

“Thanks, Weiss. I appreciate this.”

And she looked back at the engine, letting out a long breath as she gave a once over one last time.

“Well, your car seems alright,” the blonde clapped her hands, then reached to close the trunk. “Like, really alright. Are you going to the garage often?”

“No. I do the maintenance.”

“ _You_ do the maintenance?” Yang repeated as she looked back at her, utterly surprised.

“Well, yes,” Weiss shrugged. “I know a thing or two, and I built my own weapon. I fixed your arm,” she reminded with a finger raised. “Maintenance on a car is easier than the maintenance on my weapon. I couldn't repaire it, though.”

“Huh.”

The blonde nodded appreciatively, her hands on her hips as she looked back at the car before leaning over and patting the trunk a few times, affectionately.

“She’s taking good care of you,” she whispered not so quietly, and Weiss rolled her eyes. “So,” Yang said as she straightened her back, this time crossing her arms and looking over at Weiss with a small smile. “When’s the sixth date?”

She sent her a warning glare, but the corner of her lips pulled up, and she couldn’t help but glance up at the balcony, a flutter in her stomach at the mention of her dates with Ruby. And remembering what went afterwards.

“Probably next week,” she nonetheless answered as she looked back, feeling a slight blush color her cheeks.

And Yang only laughed, touching her elbow before waving her hand at her in lieu of goodbye as she made her way back to the building.

As Weiss was left alone she looked up again, seeing that Ruby was there, and she waved, Ruby responding instantly before she sat behind the steering wheel.

Still, Yang’s words kept looping in her head, and she sighed, knowing that she will be thinking about this for a while.

 

****

 

“Hello?”

“Hi, Ruby! Do you have plans for today?”

Weiss was excited, keeping her phone stuck between her ear and shoulder as she stood in front of her wardrobe, pushing aside a couple of dresses and skirts and taking a few articles to better look at them, pulling them over her and looking at herself in the mirror.

“Not really,” the other girl chuckle on the other side of the line.

“Great! Because I know where we are going today!”

“Does it involve walking? Or me standing?”

“What?” Weiss paused, her eyebrows furrowing.

Ruby’s voice was strange, even through the phone. Like she was sad. Or tired.

“Look outside,” Ruby only answered.

Confused, she made her way to the window of her room and pulled the curtains open… before pausing. Outside, the wind whipped waves of rain against her window, and she could see the very large puddles that were flooding the street below.

“Oh,” she only let out.

“Yeah,” Ruby chuckled again, humorlessly.

“Is it a bad day?”

“Definitively on my top five.”

“Can I do something? Do you need anything?” she asked quietly, worry settling in her voice as she let the curtain fall back.

There was a sigh on the line, followed by a quiet grunt, probably when Ruby shifted, and she bit her lip in sympathy.

“Yeah,” Ruby finally said. “I need you as my body pillow.”

“On my way,” Weiss instantly moved to the door, hanging up.

 

****

 

It was raining so hard that Weiss’s car’s whippers worked overtime, and she was drenched and soaked through with only the small distance between her car and the sister’s building, but she never minded, climbing the stairs two by two, and knocking on the door with the crooked number six, a bit breathless.

“It’s open!” she heard from inside.

She wasn’t going to be told twice. Without hesitation, she turned the doorknob and entered, dripping on the doormat in front of a blinking Yang.

“Wow. That was quick,” the blonde only let out, glancing at the clock.

Weiss looked past her, towards the living room, and she could see Blake, turning her back to them, standing behind the couch, seemingly absorbed by something as she didn’t even bother look over her shoulder, but Weiss couldn’t observe much longer than that because Yang dropped a towel on her head, hiding everything from view.

“That rain is nasty,” the blonde sighed, rubbing Weiss’s head over the towel for a couple of seconds until Weiss swatted her hand away. “I’ll get you a change of clothes. Be sure to dry yourself, or you might catch a cold.”

A harsh retort was burning her lips, something about not being a child, as she pulled the towel from her head, but seeing that Yang smiled even though she had this crinkle of worry between her eyebrows made the words roll back on her tongue, and she only managed a silent nod, grateful. As she looked down at herself, seeing the wet spot she was creating on the doormat, she really was thankful that Yang was fetching a change of clothes.

A couple of minutes later, Weiss was dry and changed in black sweats and a little too large crimson red T-shirt, obviously taken in Ruby’s wardrobe. And as she made her way to the living room, she could finally see what Blake was doing, and notice that Ruby was there, too.

Ruby was comfortable sat on the couch, Zwei curled up on her lap and she had her head leaning back, and Blake was sliding her fingers in Ruby’s dark hair, slowly, starting at the center of Ruby’s forehead and smoothing her eyebrows with her thumbs all the way to her temple. Then, she settled her thumbs just a bit higher, still in the center of her forehead, then pressed smoothly, slowly, over and over again, her fingers combing through Ruby’s hair and massaging as delicately as before, and Weiss noticed that Ruby kept her eyes closed, that her breath was deep and slow, and her features seemed relaxed under Blake’s ministration.

After one last sweep of her thumbs, Blake let her hands wander in Ruby’s hair, pulling it all back as she leaned over to gently kiss the younger girl’s forehead.

“All done,” she said softly, and after one last strand of hair pushed back, Blake straightened her back with a small sigh, and she seemed to finally noticed Weiss. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Weiss greeted with a small smile, lowering her eyes to Ruby, then asked with her voice hushed. “Is she sleeping?”

“No,” Ruby herself answered, as still as a statue, but her voice was tired. “But soon.”

As Weiss sat beside Ruby, minding to not make Ruby move, Blake silently wen to the kitchen with Yang, keeping her company as the blonde was washing the dishes, and the dark head leaned against Yang’s shoulder, and when the blonde turned her head to kiss it one tall feline ear flicked. Her attention was brought back when she felt Ruby’s hand patting blindly beside her, and she gently took it, squeezing it once.

“Alright,” she said. “How do you want me?”

“Not really the words I want to hear when I’m in the room with you guys,” Yang commented from the kitchen, and before she could retort back Blake was already slapping the back of the blonde’s head.

It still made Ruby chuckle instead of groaning, her lips curling in a smile as she slowly opened her eyes, and she glanced at her, her silver eyes seemingly darker. Or maybe it was just because the room was poorly lit.

“Could you lean back on the armrest?” the other girl let out, pointing with her chin at the other end of the couch. “Imma lean on you. Okay?”

Weiss was already moving, finding a comfortable position with one of the couch’s cushions tucked under her back, and she motioned at Ruby when she was ready, the other girl moving slowly and minding the dog on her lap as she had to twist in her seat to lean her back on Weiss’s chest, her legs stretched on the rest of the couch, but when they were both in place and comfortable, Ruby’s head settled in the crook of Weis’s shoulder, she sighed in contentment.

“Ah yeah, that’s the stuff,” she smiled blissfully. “Blake gives kickass head massages. I highly recommend it.”

Huffing, Weiss brought one of her hands up to lightly comb through dark hair, while she wrapped her other arm around Ruby’s frame, securing her.

“I’ll take a number,” Weiss joked, her lips brushing Ruby’s ear before she kissed the dark head. “Is this really alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Ruby sighed, closing her eyes again. “Thanks for coming.”

“Anytime,” she assured quietly, nuzzling behind the other girl’s ear.

It didn’t take long for Ruby to fall asleep, her weight a bit heavy on top of Weiss but it wasn’t that bad. It was also reassuring, and she could feel each breath Ruby took, and it also kept her warm, both of them cuddling so closely on the couch with her head swimming in Ruby’s scent, and she couldn’t help but doze off, too.

 

****

 

She woke up, feeling something warm touching her forehead, and she opened her eyes with a sharp breath, blinking a few times to clear her vision as she saw Yang, crouching beside the couch and brushing back a few stray locks of her hair.

“You two look cozy,” the blonde said quietly with a smile.

Weiss tried to shift, the arm that she had folded up to brush Ruby’s air falling back and off the couch now numb, and she could feel a few kinks in her back that could use a good stretch, and she grimaced with a grunt, burying her face in Ruby’s hair.

Yang chuckled, as quietly as before.

“I made lunch,” she informed, her lavender eyes looking up at Ruby’s sleeping face. “I don’t know about you, but she didn’t eat anything, today.”

“She didn’t?” Weiss repeated, surprised. “She usually never passes up a chance to eat something.”

“Yeah. I guess the rain was just too much, but… it stopped raining. It should be a bit more bearable, now.”

The blonde stood with a sigh, her eyes fixated on her sister as a melancholic expression passed on her features, and after a moment she turned her eyes to Weiss, offering a small smile.

“You wanna wake her up?”

“You seem like _you_ want to,” she countered gently.

Yang huffed, grimacing guiltily as she reached over to delicately brush the hair that fell on Ruby’s face, then petted her head as the same expression as before came back.

“It’s just…” she sighed again, wetting her lips and seemingly trying to find the right words. “I hate that I can’t sooth her pain. I hate to see her suffer like that.”

Weiss hummed, understanding perfectly, and Yang leaned down, gently pressing a kiss on the girl’s forehead before nuzzling her temple, never stopping petting her head.

“Wake up, baby sister,” she murmured right in Ruby’s ear, never stopping her soft touches.

The younger sister stirred, and she opened her eyes as Yang pulled away, smiling down softly. Ruby reached up, touching her sister’s face with the tips of her fingers, as if to make sure she was really there.

“I love you,” she breathed, and it surprised both Yang and Weiss.

Usually, Yang was the one always demonstrating her love for her sister. It was rare to see Ruby showing her affection, even if they all knew how deeply the sisters loved each other.

“I love you too,” the blonde still answered, gently taking her hand with her left one to kiss her knuckles. “What’s going on?”

“I had a weird dream,” Ruby closed her eyes again, furrowing her brows. “I just wanted you to know.”

And she left it at that, leaving both of them a bit confused as Ruby looked to the side to look at Weiss, a soft smile pulling her lips, but before she said something her face scrunched up as she sniffed the air like a hound.

“It smells like-”

The door of the apartment flew open as Blake entered, dripping wet as she shook her arms to make the drops fall, but seemingly in a good mood.

“You’re back already?” Yang sounded utterly surprised as she made her way to Blake, helping the faunus with her jacket that stick to her skin.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t miss your…” she paused, glancing over at the table, before raising a single eyebrow, seemingly a bit disappointed. “Pancakes?”

“Yes, pancakes!” Ruby whooped excitedly as she sat up, before wincing a bit.

“Where would you go in this weather?” Weiss asked as she finally stood, and started stretching, hearing her joints crack and she smiled, satisfied.

“Well, it’s not raining as hard as before,” the faunus started as she sat in one of the chairs in the kitchen, already pulling the plate with the pancakes staked on it closer. “But I had to go to the library.”

“The library?” Yang asked, taking a chair at the kitchen table. “You left so quickly that I didn’t have the time to ask where you went.”

Blake shrugged, already chewing on a fluffy pancake that she teared with her bare fingers, making Weiss wince, but Ruby standing brought her attention back.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah! Now I feel like I’m eighty instead of a hundred and twenty!”

Weiss rolled her eyes with a shake of her head but Ruby was smiling as she made her way to the table, slowly but steadily, her eyes fixated on the staked pancakes as a deep rumble was heard, coming from Ruby’s stomach.

“I had a notification for a book I had flagged,” Blake was explaining. “There was a return today, and I didn’t want it to leave again, so I went. I’ve been waiting for this one for quite a while.”

“Wait a second,” Ruby narrowed her eyes as she sat at the kitchen table, earning all gazes to her. “Is it your filthy ninja book?”

“My…” Blake started, a blush starting to color her cheek.

“Her _what_?” Yang almost choked, glancing back and forth between Ruby and Blake.

But the sudden silence coming from the faunus was enough of an answer as she kept her golden eyes on Ruby, her blush never stopping to darken her face and Ruby sighed, pulling the plate of pancakes towards her.

“I mean, the katanas are really cool, but you really shouldn’t read this. It’s filthy. I still wonder why you like it so much, I mean it’s literally two ninjas frick-fracking all along.”

“How-how do you know?” Blake asked weekly as she could see the blonde start looming over her.

“You forgot one of the books here, one day. I think it was the second? Anyway. I was curious as to why you liked it so much, so I read bits here and there.”

“ _You_ read _smut_?” Yang asked, a large smile pulling her lips, almost menacingly.

The faunus only shrunk in her seat, lowering her eyes to the plate in front of her, and the blonde jumped out of her seat towards Blake’s bag, already rummaging through it.

“I need proof. I can’t believe you never told me,” Yang grumbled.

The faunus was quick to jump out of her seat, wrestling with Yang to keep her away from her bag, but the blonde was taller and stronger, and so she fished the book with a victorious cry, holding it above her head and out of Blake’s reach the faunus kept trying to catch it by jumping, before jumping on Yang, decided on climbing her way up. Laughing heartily, Yang tried as best she could to get rid of Blake, making them clumsily stumbling back to the living room, before falling on the couch in a yelp of surprise.

“Well, I never had meals this lively,” Weiss only commented as she cut a piece of pancake, not bothered by the noises of struggle coming from the couch, Yang’s arm still holding the book firmly the only thing that poked out into view.

“You should come over more often, then,” Ruby smiled, bringing a large piece to her mouth and munching it.

With a huff and a shook of her head, she glanced to the side, towards the living room and the sudden silence there only to see Yang’s arm slowly lowering, apparently distracted, and she noticed Blake’s hand snaking up slowly, before snatching the book from her hand.

There was a yelp followed by a loud bang as they seemingly feel from the couch, and Blake scrambled to her feet, clutching the book to her chest protectively as she stared at Yang, panting, and the blonde’s head popped into view, her attention entirely on Blake as she was panting, too. By the look they were sharing, and by Yang’s reddened lips, it was easy to know what got her distracted enough for Blake to get a hold of her book back.

The faunus wetted her lips as the blonde stood, standing so close to her, and she could see how long her golden eyes stayed on Yang’s lips before she looked up.

“This book,” she said with a low voice, still a bit breathless, “Stays in my bag.”

The blonde swallowed, her left hand twitching slightly at her side, but after a moment she nodded.

“Okay,” she breathed.

Weiss could almost see the sparks between the two, both of them wanting so much to just close the distance and resume what happened on the couch, but… They both made their way back to the table, silently, and as they kept their eyes to their plates, the silence that they brought with them was heavy and tense.

“So, where did you wanted to go today?” Ruby asked Weiss after swallowing thickly, seemingly oblivious to whatever had happened.

 

****

 

“Well, no, I don’t mind. It’s just… Why don’t you bring him along?” Weiss asked as she sat in her couch, sinking in the cushions.

“Because uncle Qrow said that it should be just us,” Ruby sighed, her voice slightly distorted as it came out of the speaker of her phone. “Since the anniversary only happens once a year, he would like that we leave Zwei here.”

She let out a sigh, rubbing her eyes tiredly. It was a bit late, and she had read an awful lot that day, and she could feel a headache forming, looming in the back of her head like the dark clouds of a storm.

“You know, it’s alright if you don’t want to doggysit Zwei while we’re gone,” she heard the light chuckle Ruby let out.

“It’s not that,” Weiss countered. “I’m just… tired. How long will you be gone?”

“A week, maybe a week and a couple of days. Look, it’s really okay if you don’t want to. It’s just that he likes you, and you really like him, so…”

“And I told you, I’ll take him. It’s fine.”

“Then what’s wrong? You don’t sigh for nothing.”

She couldn’t help but groan quietly, leaning her head back as she ran a hand in her hair, sinking a bit more in the cushions of the couch. Sometimes she hated how attentive Ruby was.

“It’s just… Father is supposed to call sometime next week, and if he hears Zwei, if he knows I’m keeping a pet-”

“Oh, then you don’t have to worry!” Ruby quickly assured, her voice taking back its usual cheerful tone. “Zwei is very quiet! He never barks! Okay, well sometimes he does like when he’s excited, but usually he just sleeps. Easy peasy. Plus, you’ll have a cuddle body. Isn’t it great?”

She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips at the sound of Ruby’s voice, so cheery and full of life, and Weiss could already feel how she was going to miss it in the other girl’s absence.

“Alright, alright,” she finally smiled.

“Yes! He’s going to be so happy to spend the week with you! I’ll drop him tomorrow, before we leave to the airport.”

“Okay,” she nodded, hearing that Ruby was whispering something, away from the phone. “And Ruby?”

“Yeah?” her attention was brought back, her voice clear, now.

“I’m going to miss you,” Weiss said softly, staring at the ceiling.

There was a beat of silence on the other line before she heard Ruby huff under her breath, and she could almost _hear_ the soft smile on her face.

“Aw, Weiss,” her voice was equally soft as the smile she figured Ruby had on her lips. “You can always call or text me while I’m gone, okay? I’m going to miss you too.”

And Weiss felt a wave of warmth wash over her, not knowing that she really needed to hear this. Insecurity has always been around, waiting in the shadows of her mind, and by these simple words of Ruby it casted enough light to send it away. At least for now.

“Okay,” she smiled. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yep! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

 

****

 

It turned out that having Zwei around was more fun than expected. Her walks outside stretched for entire afternoons as she would play with the dog, and even inside, when she was reading or watching TV, Zwei could curl up beside her, after finally giving in and letting him climb on the couch.

She was alone with a dog, but she wasn’t lonely. Maybe that was why Ruby had insisted for her to ‘doggysit’ Zwei, as Ruby called it.

Still, Weiss would text Ruby a few times per day, giving status report that made Ruby laugh by how professional it was, and even if Ruby took time to answer sometimes, she didn’t mind. Ruby and Yang were back in Patch to remember what their life had once been. She could understand if Ruby had better things to do than answer her texts.

And, as sure as a clock, her father’s call came. Zwei had been as silent as a tomb, and she was grateful for that as he kept on going about all he expected from her, and all the classes he wanted her to take on the fall semester. He also told her that he knew she was still hanging out with the same low-life girl, and that if she didn’t stop immediately this idiocy, he _will_ take actions.

It was as draining as ever. And she just lay there, on her bed, staring at the ceiling for an unknown amount of time. She was dimly aware that Zwei kept trying to climb on the bed, him being too short to make the jump, until she heard the clicks of his claws on the floor as he trotted away. Then he came back, dragging something with him, and curiously Weiss pulled her eyes away to look over, and saw that the dog had fetch the small step she kept to reach the highest shelves, and with this, he successfully jumped on the bed.

Zwei whined quietly when he saw her, but he snuggled close, resting his front paws and head on her stomach, and nudging her head with his nose until Weiss’s hand rested on his hand, and the dog sighed deeply then.

Well, it wasn’t Ruby. But Weiss was still so very glad for the presence as she started petting Zwei automatically, stroking his tall ears between her fingers, feeling it so warm in her hand. It wasn’t Ruby, but it was enough to keep her grounded. Enough for her to remember that the world still turned.

And enough for her to hear the knock at the door. Furrowing her brows, she didn’t move even when Zwei perked up, his tall ears standing on his head as he let out the softest bark, barely a warning for her that something was going on. But as she didn’t know who would be knocking at her door, and decided as to not find out who it was, she stayed there, continuously petting the dog.

But the knock came again, insistent, and this time Zwei sat up, making the same soft bark, and he waited until Weiss sat on the bed before he jumped down, trotting towards the noise. With a roll of her eyes, Weiss followed, dragging her feet.

She was so sure that it wasn’t someone important that she didn’t even looked through the peephole, simply opening the door as she already could feel the scowl forming on her face as she was about to be very rude to whoever was there, but she stopped, utterly and completely surprised.

Slouched against her doorframe, Blake was there, and as soon as she opened the door she looked up from her phone, her golden eyes settling on her.

“Hey,” she only said, and the faunus took advantage of her surprise to slip inside.

Blake only had the time to make a few steps inside until she let out a quiet yelp, bringing her hands closer to her.

“No, Zwei, you remember the rules! Unless Weiss as spoiled you so much that you don’t remember?”

The dog, happy to see a familiar face, was about to jump happily against Blake’s legs until the faunus spoke, and he whined quietly as he sat down instead, looking up at Blake with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. The faunus then leaned over, patting Zwei’s head a few times in a rare sign of affection.

“Good boy,” she didn’t forget to say, and Zwei almost vibrated of happiness.

“Blake,” Weiss finally let out, coming out of her surprise as she closed the door. “What… What are you doing here? How do you even know where I live?”

The faunus glanced at her over her shoulder, raising a single eyebrow at her.

“Did you forget that I’m the one who found your address for Ruby? I have a good memory.”

And Blake didn’t wait for an answer as she stepped deeper into the apartment, glancing around, but Weiss sighed as she rubbed her eyes, irritation settling in the pit of her stomach.

“Blake, this is not really a good time, so-”

“Woah, look at those books! How many do you have?” the faunus gasped, already making her way towards the large ceiling-to-floor bookshelf filled with books of various size and shape, in the living room.

“I- A lot,” she answered quickly. “Look, Blake, what are you doing here? Last I heard, you _tolerate_ me.”

“You tolerate me too,” Blake retorted, distracted as her eyes jumped from one spine to the other, her hand touching each one of them.

Gritting her teeth, Weiss took Zwei in her arm then held him at arm’s length, advancing towards Blake threateningly.

“What do you want?” she asked, annoyed as the faunus finally seemed to give her attention to her. “And I swear I will _throw_ Zwei at you if you don’t answer.”

Blake’s eyes widened then, her golden eyes settled on the dog that didn’t seem bothered at all by what was happening, and she shot her hands up in a peaceful motion, taking a step back.

“Fine!” the faunus grumbled, her ears pulled back on her head. “I miss them. I thought I could spend some time with someone who missed them too.”

Blinking, Weiss brought Zwei closer to her to hug him properly in her arms, keeping her attention on Blake that lowered her hands to her sides, staring at the books on the shelf beside her.

“Oh,” Weiss only said, her irritation fading away. Then, she lowered her eyes to Zwei in her arms, the dog looking up at her with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. “I’m sorry I used you like that. I didn’t mean it.”

The dog only reached up, licking her chin once before he started wiggling in her arms and she set him down, but he sat right beside her, looking up at her.

“Alright, then,” she sighed, making her way to the couch to fall in it, sinking in the cushions. “You can stay. But I told you, this isn’t a good time.”

It didn’t took long for Zwei to climb on the couch and curl up on her lap, and Weiss petted him again, automatically, as she stared out the window, never minding Blake as the faunus went over the entire bookshelf and brought back a couple of books, setting them on the low table in front of the couch as she settled in the corner, shifting to find a comfortable position.

Blake opened the book before glancing up at Weiss, and Weiss could tell that the faunus paused then, observing her as she kept looking at the view, and before long Blake lowered her book on her lap.

“You’re in pain,” the faunus only said quietly.

“I’m fine.”

“But you’re not,” Blake gently insisted.

“How would _you_ know?” Weiss almost snarled, clenching her teeth.

“Because Zwei only does that when someone is in pain,” she explained, pointing at the dog that was curled on her lap and seemingly not about to move. “He does that whenever Ruby is in pain because of the rain. He does that with Yang when her arm hurts. I know he tried to do this with me, one time. But he stayed by my side until I felt better.”

Weiss lowered her eyes to the dog on her lap, Zwei staying still as he kept his eyes closed, and she petted his head, running her thumb along one of his tall ears.

“You’re such a good boy,” she told him quietly, and the tall ears perked up on his head.

Blake chuckled beside her but let a silence fall over them, letting it linger for a moment as Weiss leaned her head back again, and Blake closed the book on her lap, settling it on top of the pile that was resting on the table.

“What is it?” the faunus asked, returning her attention on Weiss.

“It’s nothing.”

“Isn’t it strange how ‘nothing’ upsets you this much?”

Weiss glared at her, but when she saw the seriousness in those golden eyes, she only sighed, looking down at Zwei.

“It’s just a call from Father. It’ll pass, like always.”

The ears on top of Blake’s head perked up, standing straight.

“Oh. I understand he’s a jerk to you, too.”

It wasn’t a question, but Weiss still shrugged one shoulder, continuously petting the dog until Blake stood and made her way around the couch.

“Come on, I’ll give you a head massage,” the faunus offered, stopping behind her. “It will relax you, and I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.”

With a sigh, Weiss pondered for a bit until she remembered how relaxed it had made Ruby, and she finally accepted, nodding her head. As soon as she did, Blake delicately brushed her hair out of her face, her touch light, almost ghosting over her skin, and soon she felt Blake’s fingers slid in her hair, and felt her thumbs on her forehead. She looked at the faunus’s face, seeing it scrunched up in concentration, and she could feel Blake’s fingertips press into her skin, making small circular motion along her scalp, before the thumbs pressed on her forehead and all the way to her temples.

It didn’t take long for Weiss to close her eyes, enjoying every touch, and it was without really noticing that she fell asleep under Blake’s ministrations.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyyyy I'm still alive! :D 
> 
> I'm so sorry for the wait, I had forgotten about this chapter in my folder. Whoopsies!
> 
> But here it is! I hope you like it!

When she woke up, she could see the sun had starting its descent on the city, the orange light blinding in this angle, and as she took in a sharp breath, rubbing a hand in her face as she shifted, she suddenly remembered that she was sitting on the couch. And that she wasn’t alone, as she heard a clatter behind her.

She looked over, towards the kitchen, and she could see Blake shushing the pan she had set on the oven, pointing it threateningly before she opened the stainless door of the fridge, the faunus sighing deeply as she ran a hand in her hair, before leaning over and disappearing behind the door, reappearing with the carton of eggs that she set down on the counter.

“Are you raiding my fridge?” she decided to let her presence known as she moved to stand, grunting a bit as she stretched, before making her way to the kitchen.

Well, Ruby was right. Blake’s head massages were wonderful, and the headache se had feared seemed to have vanished, and only now did she notice that Zwei was curled up in his small bed. He had stayed until she wasn’t in pain anymore.

“In my defense, it was meant as a nice gesture,” the faunus sighed, seemingly not surprised to see her up as she set her hands on her hips. “I wanted to make pancakes, because I always found they were comforting, but I realised I didn’t know how, nor what to use to make them.”

“So… Eggs?” Weiss asked, raising a single eyebrow as she leaned against the kitchen island, crossing her arms over her chest.

Shrugging helplessly, Blake sighed again, looking down for a second as her dark eyebrows furrowed, turning away and giving her back to Weiss.

“I guess it’s the only thing that isn’t too complicated to make.”

“So you don’t cook for yourself? What do you do when you’re at your place?”

“I don’t really have one,” one shoulder shrugged, this time, as the faunus grabbed the pan’s handle to look the thing over. “I’m staying at a friend’s place.”

“You mean, Yang’s and Ruby’s.”

Her tone was playful as she looked over Blake, and she was rewarded by a slight snort, the faunus looking back just enough so she could see the corner of her lips curl up, but she could see her relax a bit as she returned her golden stare to the pan.

“Where are you from? Vale?” she asked suddenly, pushing herself from the island to stand beside Blake, in front of the oven.

Golden eyes turned to her, staring at her for a moment as Weiss was turning on the fire and heating the pan, opening the carton and pulling on one of the drawers to pull out a wooden spoon, the edges darkened by its many uses.

“How do you like your eggs?” she asked, stopping to look up at the faunus. “I like them scrambled, but-”

“Same.”

The smaller woman nodded simply, adding a small amount of butter in the pan as Blake pulled one of the stools of the island closer, silently sitting on it as she carefully watched her, and Weiss could feel her stare as she tried her best to ignore it.

“I grew up outside the kingdoms,” the faunus finally let out, the weight of her stare lifting as the butter had melted in the pan.

“Really?” she raised her eyebrows, taking an egg before cracking it on the edge of the pan. “There is plenty of territory outside the kingdoms, though.”

The sizzling sound of the pan filled the silence, and she pointed at the salt and pepper pot, raising a questioning eyebrow at Blake, who nodded silently, and she added a bit of salt and pepper in the eggs.

“I’m from Menagerie.”

There wasn’t any hesitation, or accusation in her voice, she was just giving an information, and yet, it made Weiss stilled for a moment, the wooden spoon stopping mid-stir in the pan. She nodded, huffing bitterly as she lowered her head slightly.

“Well, now I know why you hate me so much,” she said under her breath, resuming what she was doing.

The silence stretching behind her was an obvious answer, and she sighed, letting it be as she focused on the task at hand, her mouth suddenly dry, and she could almost taste ash on her tongue as she remembered the pictures of what her father had dubbed ‘The Accident’.

It must have been a decade ago, the Schnee Dust Company had bought a portion of island, near the coast of Mistral but outside of the reaches of the kingdom, an island named Menagerie. They had bought it because, under the desert of its southern ridge, the island seemed promising for mining, and the SDC didn’t particularly cared that the island was already inhabited. The population being entirely faunus didn’t even made her father bat an eyelash as he ordered the digging teams as soon as they had bought the land, and as long as they stayed on their side of the island, the natives couldn’t do much about it.

And so, the digging teams started drilling, soon discovering why this part of the island wasn’t inhabited. The flora and fauna was different than everything they had ever seen, all so wild and very decided to kill everything, but after just the few days of drilling, they had found enough Dust for them to hire security around the site. And so, they kept drilling.

But they drilled fast underneath the unstable grounds of a desert. And as they drilled, the teams weren’t fast enough to secure it, and the tunnels caved in, killing the many workers inside. It also made the unstable Dust of the mine shatter, and soon the mine was ablaze in a magisterial explosion, the wind carrying the toxins in the fumes of the explosions towards the village, as the explosions continued underground, and making the part closest to the mine crumble as the ground gave in.

The inhabitants that weren’t killed in the cave in either left or died, poisoned by the toxins in the air and water, in the months following the explosion of the mine. In other words, Menagerie wasn’t on the map, anymore.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Weiss quietly let out, leaning over to turn off the fire. “I…”

She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, biting her lips as she opened a cabinet to take the plates. Was it appropriate to tell her that she saw the pictures? What was she supposed to say?

Before she could reach the plates, Blake’s hand was faster than hers and the faunus pulled two from the pile, setting them on the counter as she was standing silently beside Weiss.

“I was there, that day,” the faunus said softly. “When the mine exploded. I remember how the ground shook, and I remember the blast of wind shoving the palm trees to the side. I was quite young.”

Blake let out a deep breath, making one of the plates spin on itself slowly as they stood side by side, Weiss silently rising her eyes to the mirror, above the sink, and met her eyes there.

She could see her reflection there, her right side, Blake out of view, her scar out of view. This was the puppet, the soon to be head of the Schnee Dust Company. Someone people would fear. Someone who would let a mine explode, and still could sleep at night.

_I told Blake you weren’t like him._

She closed her eyes, Ruby’s words echoing in her ears, and she was so distracted that she nearly missed the faunus’s next words.

“Which means you would have been quite young, too.”

She swallowed, turning her eyes to the pan in front of her, the eggs slowly growing cold as neither of them moved to scoop some in their plates.

“I only found out about this recently,” she finally let out, her voice hushed as she kept her eyes lowered.

“Weiss,” Blake gently tried to interrupt, but she shook her head slightly.

“I saw the pictures.”

“Weiss,” the faunus tried again, this time resting a hand on her shoulder, keeping her touch light. “I understand that it wasn’t your fault, now.”

She swallowed at that, choosing to stay silent as she glanced at the mirror again, remembering what her father had said after he found her crying at the pictures.

‘You don’t get to have a conscience, child. You only have to shape up, and do what’s best for the company.’

“Are you going to take some?” she asked after clearing her throat, finally returning her attention to the eggs in the pan. “I’m not hungry, anymore.”

A soft huff beside her made her look up, and Blake was staring at the content of the pan with a tired expression, but she grimaced a bit, shrugging one shoulder.

“Me neither, but… We can’t just throw it away.”

Nodding with a sigh, she reluctantly took the pan, making Blake chuckle quietly as she dragged her feet to the kitchen island with her plate.

 

****

 

“So you’re saying that you live alone here? It’s, like, easily two times bigger than what Ruby and Yang have. And look at the view!”

“Why does everyone thinks it’s important to talk about the view?” Weiss only grumbled but still followed the faunus to the panoramic window, in the living room.

Blake glanced at her before rolling her eyes, huffing as she gestured at the apartment.

“Because it is? I mean, if I had an apartment like this, you’d be sure Yang and Ruby would be living with me. I mean, look at this TV! The view! And I saw a couple of books that were about the history of Huntsmen and Huntresses, I think? Ruby would flip.”

“I have more in the library,” she informed as she was already making her way towards a hallway, hearing Blake close on her heels.

“You have a library too?”

“Well, yes. I have to keep all the information about Dust somewhere.”

Weiss led her up a staircase that was discreetly hidden in a corner, and they appeared in a room with all four walls covered in books, from ceiling to floor, with a couple of tall bookshelves standing in the large room, making it look like a maze. The lights turned on automatically as soon as they stepped in it, and she couldn’t help the small, satisfied smile on her lips when she saw the faunus’s eyes already climbing over the spines of the books, a shine in them as they were opened wide, and Blake leaned her lower back against one of the soft couches that were there.

“Is this… _all_ about Dust?” the faunus asked, her voice hushed as she didn’t stop looking over the bookshelves.

“No,” she shook her head, eyeing the place, too. “But the bookshelves on the far wall, yes.”

Wordlessly, Blake traveled there, Weiss beside her until she suddenly stopped, her eyes catching on the title of a book, and backtracking for a second, she pulled it out, bringing it with her. The faunus stood in front of the bookshelf of the far wall, both her hands in her hair as she took in the view.

“All of this is about Dust?”

The smaller woman wordlessly tipped her head in approval, and pointed at the row beside her.

“This one, too. But it’s what couldn’t fit on the far wall.”

Blake let out an impressed whistle, shaking her head for a moment before stepping a couple of paces back, standing beside her.

“I don’t think I have seen this many books about Dust in one place.”

“It doesn’t surprise me. I have many limited editions, and more than half of all this, I took them with me from Atlas. I know a lot of them are _only_ in Atlas.”

“Why is it only there?” the faunus asked, her brows furrowed deeply as she glanced at Weiss.

And the smaller woman wordlessly pulled a book from the row beside her, giving it to her without looking, and after a blink, Blake opened it and paged through it, her frown deepening as she looked up again.

“In what language is that?”

“Old Atlesian. That’s why they are only in Atlas.”

“You mean you can read this? I heard it was a dead language.”

Lowering her eyes to the open pages in Blake’s hands, she sighed deeply, remembering the many tutors her father had hired to make her learn the language. And even though the classes were boring to her, she couldn’t help but shudder as she remembered the private sessions with her father.

“Father always said a Schnee had to understand whatever was written in front of them,” she said as she reached for to book in the faunus’s hands, before closing it and returning it to its place. “Be it old Atlesian, German, French, English or Vacuan. Although German was similar to old Atlesian. It was easier to learn.”

She sighed for a second, letting her fingers linger on the spine of the book, before she turned around and walked through the library, hearing Blake quietly following her, and she glanced down at the book she had in her hand, looking at the title with a grimace as she turned a corner, and opened the door that was hidden there.

Again, the light automatically turned on as soon as they entered, illuminating the room with a warm glow as it was filled with a large wooden desk, a computer, and a large padded chair that waited to be used, turned towards the door.

“Excuse the mess,” she said over her shoulder to Blake as she set the book she was carrying on the pile already on the desk, before gathering the scattered papers on the desk to form a neat pile. “I usually don’t bring guests in my office.”

“Your office?” the faunus raised her eyebrows as she glanced around, leaning her shoulder in the doorframe. “And, no offense, but I’m guessing you don’t usually have guests.”

It managed to make her huff, but she still shrugged one shoulder with a grimace.

“What were you working on?” Blake asked, tilting her head to the side to try and read what was written on the papers. “You’re interested in runes?”

Promptly covering the page with another that was written in old Atlesian, Weiss finished her pile with a slight clear of her throat as she looked up, giving a small smile to the faunus.

“Just a small side project,” she huffed, grimacing a little as she looked back at her desk with a sigh. “I’m actually glad you came, today. I would have spent another day cooped up in here.”

“Do you ever do something fun when you’re not with Ruby?” the faunus huffed as she crossed her arms, a playful smile on her lips.

But her teasing missed its mark as Weiss only sighed deeply as she looked back to her desk, fiddling with the stack of paper there, a strange expression pulling her features.

“I was never allowed to do ‘something fun’, so when I’m alone, I don’t know what to do besides working.”

She sighed again before looking up, one corner of her lips pulled up in a small, playful smile.

“But I do watch TV, sometimes.”

 

****

 

She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t surprised when, the next day, as she had locked herself in her office with Zwei curled up at her feet, the door suddenly opened and there was Blake, with a box of donuts and waving the cases of movies in her hand for Weiss to see.

“I have other things to do than watch movies all day, you know,” she sighed as they were climbing down the stairs.

“It’s summer,” the faunus scoffed, turning around when she was down the stairs to look at her critically. “And you have enough money to pay your bills without working. So while school is out, you should enjoy it with donuts, and movies.”

As she stopped in front of Blake, the faunus opened the box of donuts with a raise of eyebrows, tilting her head slightly, inviting Weiss silently to take one, and after raising her eyes to the sky she glanced over them, grimacing slightly. Just smelling them was ruining her diet. But she spotted one that wasn’t glazed over by some atrocious sugary coat, and she took it reluctantly as Blake smiled, satisfied.

Taking place in the couch, Weiss raised an eyebrow when the faunus, seemingly already comfortable in Weiss’s apartment, stretched her leg to rest her foot on the low table there, finding the remote and turning the TV on as she bit in a chocolate looking donut. And as she heard Blake hummed in bliss, she looked down at the one she was still holding, and with a shrug, took a bite.

“Oh, this one is filled,” Blake informed unhelpfully as she felt something drip on her chin.

Cursing internally, she covered her mouth with her hand as she quickly chewed on her bite, swallowing thickly as she could feel a blush color her cheeks.

“Couldn’t you warn me _before_ something dripped on me?” she accused, but it only made the faunus smile as she took another bite of her pastry.

Narrowing her eyes at her, she grumbled under her breath as she searched for a napkin, finally finding one that was covered in sugar powder at the bottom of the box, and with a deep sigh and after shaking it vigorously to make it a bit more clean, proceeded to clean herself.

As Blake flicked through the menu of the movie, Weiss felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out, knowing who it was before even looking at it, and she swiped the screen to see that Ruby had sent her a picture.

The picture had been taken by Yang because Ruby was in it, lying in the arms of a large bronze statue that held its arms outstretched in front of it, the younger girl letting her arms flail back as she had her eyes closed and her tongue pocking out.

She couldn’t help the chuckle she let out when, and it was probably Yang that typed it because of how instantly after the picture it was, the words ‘definitely dead’ appeared at the bottom of the screen. Then, she noticed when Blake perked up, and she pulled her phone out, too, before snorting.

“They sent you the picture?” the faunus asked, quickly turning her phone to show the same photo that Weiss was looking at.

She nodded, chuckling as she looked down at it again, before hearing the click of a camera, and she looked up, surprised, to see Blake smiling widely as she lowered her phone.

“Yang is going to _flip_ when she knows we’re together,” the faunus cackled as she sent the picture she took of Weiss.

Pinching her lips, the smaller woman raised her phone, tapping on the screen to turn the camera on, but Blake noticed her, quickly raising a hand up.

“Hold on!” she said, shifting to be completely laying in the corner of the couch, and brought the box of donuts on her lap as she brought one to her lips, stopping a few inches from it. “Okay, go on.”

Huffing, Weiss took the picture, quickly sending it to Ruby. And they waited for the answer that would be instant, for sure.

Blake’s phone was the first to buzz, and she laughed, shifting closer so she could show it to Weiss.

The next picture was a selfie of Ruby and Yang, both of them with the same expression, a mix between incredulous and suspicious, attached with a bubble.

|Are you two hanging out TOGETHER?????|

“We have to take a selfie, or they’ll never believe us,” Blake mumbled, already moving closer and leaning into Weiss.

The faunus raised her phone, angling it so they both fitted in the frame, and as Weiss smiled out of habit, Blake visibly bit her cheeks to keep a straight face and raised a thumb up in the frame, and she tapped on the screen, taking the picture. Lowering her phone, she showed it to Weiss.

“Is this alright with you?”

“No wait, I want to make a straight face too.”

“Okay.”

Again, Blake held her phone up, and she made the same face as the first picture while Weiss leaned back, so her face appeared right between the faunus’s ears, and stared right in the camera with the straightest face she could muster, and she could see Blake trying not to smile as she took the picture.

Leaning over to see it, Weiss nodded her approval solemnly.

“Perfect.”

Chuckling, Blake sent it, and as she was still leaned on Weiss they waited for the reply.

Again, it didn’t take long for the sisters to reply. The picture was blurry, but it showed them as if they were falling down.

|The sun is still in the sky. The sky is still blue. The grass is still green. The planet is still turning. What the hell is going ON??| was the bubble that accompanied the picture.

And they continued to take pictures back and forth, chuckling all the while as they forgot the movie, slowly going through the box of donuts, Zwei sighing deeply in the corner of the room.

 

****

 

“I still think you should tell Ruby,” Weiss mumbled around her spoon, humming when the cold treat hit her tongue.

Today, Blake had barged in her apartment without knocking again, carrying a bag with pints of ice cream. She had left the movies at Weiss’s place, because it turned out that they hadn’t watched them as they had talked and took pictures to send to the sisters. They would be back in a few days, they had assured.

It seemed like Blake had taken upon herself to keep Weiss company until then, bringing sweets every time she did, and now, with her spoon digging in her chocolate ice cream, she stopped restraining herself as they both were slouched on the couch. Blake sighed deeply, digging around and poking in her carton, before bringing the white cream to her mouth.

Ironically, Weiss had chosen chocolate, and Blake, vanilla.

“I know, but like I said, Yang keeps saying that we have to wait.”

“I still can’t believe that she hasn’t figured it out, honestly,” she huffed quietly. “Anyway, I hope you tell her soon, because sometimes it’s hard for me to keep my mouth shut.”

The faunus huffed, her eyebrows twitching up, but she kept her golden eyes on her ice cream, her expression darkening slightly. Hesitating for a second, she wetted her lips before lightly knocking her foot on Blake’s knee, earning the faunus’s attention.

“Can I ask why Yang doesn’t want to tell her?” she carefully asked, noticing the dark eyebrows furrowing slightly. “I mean, what happened when you met Ruby?”

“It’s…” the faunus sighed, bringing a hand up to rub her knuckles on her forehead. “Well, Yang and Ruby… Yang told me that after the accident, they lived with their uncle, Qrow, but he’s a Huntsman, you know? So he’s constantly away. They only had each other for a couple of years, before coming here.”

“Then I met Yang and, well, we got along. We started hanging out together, and one day, she invited me over, said she wanted me to meet her sister. Gosh, Yang was so nervous about it,” Blake chuckled softly. “I thought at first that it was because she was nervous for herself. We were still just friends, at the time, so I couldn’t see why it was making her this nervous. At the door, she chickened out of it, and she was telling me that her sister wasn’t used to have anyone over, that she maybe should have called beforehand to warn her, but Ruby had probably heard her talking from inside because she opened the door.”

Blake paused then, furrowing her brows as she poked around with her spoon, pinching her lips for a moment.

“I mean, I guess Ruby was different, back then. I guess Yang was, too. You might think that they are close now, but at the time… Ruby only had Yang, and she only had Ruby.”

“So… she was upset?”

“Not exactly,” the faunus grimaced slightly. “She wasn’t ‘upset’ in the way she would yell and burst out in anger or, you know, that. She was, however, ‘upset’ in the way of locking herself in her room for the whole next week, because Yang didn’t need her around anymore, now that she had me.”

“Oh,” was the only thing Weiss said, frowning.

“Yeah,” Blake sighed quietly. “I told Yang I was fine if we couldn’t hang out at her place, I mean… you should have seen her. Yang was devastated. She didn’t tell me everything Ruby said to her, but it must have been terrible for her to be like that, and I felt bad, because I thought it was because of me. But Ruby wasn’t really mad at me personally, it just happened to be me, you know? Ruby couldn’t understand Yang’s need for friends. She couldn’t understand that Yang needed to get out, sometimes. She couldn’t understand that they were different. So one day, Yang sat down with her, and they talked. Made Ruby understand that it was alright if she wanted to not have friends, if she wanted to only have Yang, but that Yang couldn’t keep going like this. That it was alright for her to have friends.”

“I mean, you know Yang. She gets along with almost everybody. I’ve never met someone who was a social butterfly like her. We went to bars a couple of times, and she just… She likes being with people, calling the shots and talking to strangers, always ready for the next adventures someone would bring, you know? Yang _needs_ people around her. And now that Ruby was getting better physically, she thought that maybe, it was time to give more space to Ruby, but I guess it backfired the way she feared it would.”

The faunus sighed deeply for a second, staring at the pint of ice cream in her hand, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Still, it took some time for Ruby to get used to me, to get used to the fact that Yang could have someone else than her. You know,” Blake added after a short silence, looking up at Weiss as she kept her eyebrows furrowed together. “I don’t think I ever saw siblings as close as they are, but it amazes me how they never talk about their feelings.”

It managed to make Weiss huff and the corner of the faunus’s lips curled up as a silence settled over them, the sound of their spoons scraping around the only thing filling the air for a long moment until the smaller woman glanced up, seeing the thoughtful expression on Blake’s face.

“But Ruby isn’t like that anymore,” she reminded, earning the faunus’s attention. “I mean, she’s not the most social person, but she told me that Yang had invited friends over, a couple of times.”

“I know,” Blake sighed. “I know. I wish I could just tell her. Ruby is a very good friend, now, and I _want_ to tell her. I don’t have any siblings, but I guess Ruby is the closest thing to it that I have. I want her to know how her sister is making me happy, and I want Ruby to be disgusted by how… mushy we can be, but I understand why Yang wants to wait, too. It had already backfired once, it can happen twice.”

It was Weiss’s turn to sigh, then, letting out a deep, slow breath as she took one final bite of her ice cream before closing the lid, leaning over to set it on the low table, and as she sat back against the couch she could see that Blake was doing the same, leaving her spoon on the table as Weiss had set it over the lid.

“I think that the only reason Ruby would be upset is because she’s been kept in the dark for so long,” she gently let out, leaning her head back against the couch as the faunus looked up at her. “You said it yourself; you and Ruby are good friends, now. I know she loves you dearly. I know I wasn’t around for as long as you, but I can tell that Ruby isn’t the same from back then, even from the first time I met her.”

She paused, locking her eyes with Blake for a second, and giving her an encouraging smile. The faunus held her stare for a moment before glancing down at her phone on her lap, sighing quietly.

“It’s not a decision I can make alone,” she shrugged one shoulder as she took her phone, eyeing it for a moment. “But… I guess I’ll talk to Yang when she gets back.”

 

****

 

The day before the sisters came back, Blake was with her again, apparently enjoying Weiss’s company. She had to say, she was glad that someone was with her during Ruby’s absence, and Blake would even sometimes come with her to walk Zwei, even though she made nasty eyes at the dog whenever he came too close to her.

Blake had brought tea with her, this time, and Weiss was secretly glad for it. All the sugary treats the faunus had brought with her the past few days had ruined her diet for good; tea, on the other hand, was a very welcome change. And it only took Blake a glance to her to decide that Weiss would like black tea.

As they were chatting, Weiss going through the impressive collection of tea the faunus had brought with her, Blake was filling the kettle with water before placing it on the fire waiting, and as Blake was walking past the sink to come back to the table, Weiss saw her stop then, her golden eyes searching the mirror hung above the sink.

“Is that...?” the faunus started, furrowing her brows slightly as she turned her head the other way, looking over the living room.

Arching a single eyebrow, she watched Blake as the faunus crossed the distance to whatever she had find as she disappeared behind the wall leading to the hallway, and when a metallic noise was heard, she felt herself tensing up. And a second later, Blake came back in the kitchen with what she had feared: Myrtenaster, her rapier.

For a second she wondered how Blake was this much at ease in Weiss’s home, comfortable enough to pick up something that was clearly valuable without even asking, but when she saw the faunus move to the large space of the living room, she decided to hold her protests as she reluctantly followed.

Stopping near the couch, she crossed her arms with a sharp intake of air as she watched Blake try her rapier, quickly slashing and thrusting in fluid motion, and she soon realised it wasn’t the first time that the faunus held a sword in her hand. After one last strike in the air in front of her, Blake straightened her back, bringing the narrow blade closer to her eyes to admire the carved design on it.

“This is a fine blade,” Blake finally said, running her fingertips over the flat side, feeling the carvings. “It has seen a couple of battles, too.”

The golden stare went up at her, and she took a sharp breath again to not snap at Blake as she could see the genuine curiousness in her eyes.

“Is it yours?”

Slightly tipping her head in approval, she decided to remain silent as the faunus nodded as silently, returning her attention to the rapier as her eyes had moved to the hilt.

“I used to have dual swords. Well,” Blake huffed quietly, a bitter smile on her lips. “The sword and its sheath. I had added a blade on its side.”

“Do I want to ask why you had swords?”

She had meant it as a joke, but this time, Blake’s stare was serious when it fell on her, and it stayed longer than before, her expression darkening a bit before the faunus averted her eyes, lowering them to the floor.

“No, I don’t think you want to.”

Silently raising her eyebrows, surprised, she stared at Blake as the faunus let out a deep sigh, before she looked back at the sword in her hands again, thoughtful.

“It has been a while, though. I missed the feeling of a sword in my hand.”

“So you haven’t kept it?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Your sword, I mean. If you had some training, you could have been a Huntress.”

It elicited a doubtful scoff from Blake as her expression hardened, her grip on the rapier’s handle tightening visibly.

“My swords were destroyed. And, being a Huntress would mean that I have some notion of bravery,” the faunus coldly let out, her voice harsh, and for a moment Weiss wondered if those words really were meant for her. “Unfortunately, even my semblance is one of a coward.”

With a flick of her wrist, Blake skillfully made the blade twirl in the air, before grabbing the rapier by its narrow blade and offered it to Weiss, hilt first.

“Besides, I don’t need the attention it would have brought along,” the faunus added, her golden eyes staying on the sword for a second before lifting up, locking with Weiss’s. “Why don’t you show me a few tricks? A rapier isn’t what I used, and my fencing isn’t that great.”

Holding her stare for a moment, she could almost feel her skin crawl when, insisting, Blake lightly pushed the hilt against her arm, and she finally lowered her eyes to her rapier. Myrtenaster.

She remembered how it felt to hold it, how it weighted in her hand, how, at some point, just the feeling of it in her hand had felt reassuring. How it had made her feel strong. It had made her feel strong and confident enough to defy her father. She also remembered that the day she lost to the golem was the last day she had ever touched it, with her bloodied hand as she couldn’t wipe the blood from her eye properly.

Ugly red sploshes on the stark white handle.

She took a step back as she bit her lip, feeling her hands grip her arms tighter, and it was with her eyes cast to the ground that she shook her head, suddenly not able to hold Blake’s stare.

“There isn’t enough space,” she lied, wondering why she bothered at all with it. “I would prefer if you put it back on its shelf, too.”

The rapier was lowered then as she could still feel the weight of Blake’s eyes on her, but the faunus only responded with a non-committal hum as she obliged, wordlessly stepping out of the living room and disappearing away as Weiss only closed her eyes, but she was brought back to reality when the kettle started whistling, letting out a high-pitched shrill that pierced her ears. As she moved back to the kitchen, Blake beat her to it, moving the kettle away and turning the fire off, before returning to the table, where their cups were still waiting.

A silence settled over them as Blake slowly poured the steaming water into the teapot, and almost instantly the smell of the black tea spread in the air, and it made her relax in her chair as she leaned back into it.

“Ruby mentioned that you wanted to be a Huntress before your change of career, so I take it you built it yourself?” Blake asked suddenly, pointing over her shoulder.

It made her arch an eyebrow at the ‘change of career’, but she didn’t want more attention on the matter so she only bowed her head in silent approval, which made the faunus smile slightly as she set the kettle down, taking her seat with a hum.

“That rapier is a piece of art, honestly,” Blake continued, her brows furrowing in thoughts. “Small but sturdy, and yet so elegant and beautiful. It suits you.”

Her snort visibly startled Blake as the faunus blinked a few times, surprised by her harsh reaction as she crossed her arms against her chest, suddenly very aware of the absence of makeup on her face.

“Why would you even say that when I have this… gash, defacing me. I look like a ruffian.”

“And yet, Ruby likes it.”

“It’s different with her,” she muttered grumpily, feeling her features scrunching up in annoyance.

“I know ruffians, Weiss. I grew up with a bunch of them. You really don’t look like one.”

The faunus’s attempt at cheering her up missed its mark completely as she couldn’t help but deepen her scowl, not wanting to believe her words, and it made Blake sigh with a shake of her head, a slight smirk on her lips.

“But if you were one,” the faunus continued, earning her glare again. “You would be the most elegant ruffian I have ever seen. And that’s something, because I saw a lot of them.”

It only made her roll her eyes exaggeratedly, wondering why she hadn’t kicked her out yet as Blake only poured the tea into their cups, the same small smile still on her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I decided to work on this a bit more, since I had left it alone for quite some time.
> 
> Anyway here's this! I hope you'll like it!

“Weeeiiiisss!”

She barely had the time to open the door that her breath was knocked out of her lungs when something bumped into her, and soon she found herself engulfed into Ruby’s arms, the other girl’s presence flooding her senses as Ruby held her tightly and closely, leaning her cheek against her temple.

She didn’t need to look to know that Ruby was smiling widely as she held her, and she smiled too, snuggling closer into the embrace. Everything about Ruby felt reassuring, and she couldn’t believe how much she missed it until now.

“I missed you so much!” the younger girl was saying in her ear, nuzzling in her ivory locks.

The same fuzzy feeling spread in her stomach as warmth settled in her chest, and she closed her eyes, squeezing Ruby just a bit tighter to her.

“I missed you too,” she breathed simply.

Finally, Ruby’s hold on her loosened and the younger girl pulled away slightly, just enough to be able to look at her for a moment, her beautiful silver eyes searching her face as if to make sure she hadn’t changed while she was gone, before one of her hands went up to cup her cheek, and as Ruby leaned over, she met her halfway.

Their lips met softly, both their eyes fluttering shut when they did, and as Ruby thumbed her cheekbone, she slid her hand in the other girl’s hair, gently pulling them back as she deepened the kiss. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as she soon heard heavy footsteps, and someone clearing their throat rather loudly.

“Hey, Weiss, we’re back!” Yang let out, sarcasm heavy on her voice as she and Ruby parted, feeling her cheeks heat up as they did.

Clearing her throat quietly as she tried to hide her embarrassment, Ruby only smiled smugly as she winked at her, but she held her hand gently, giving it a little squeeze as she did.

“Welcome back,” she finally let out, tipping her head in a simple greeting.

“What? No smooches for me?” the blonde joked, opening her arms wide, seemingly waiting.

She had to bite her tongue to not let the crack about Blake past her lips, remembering who was holding her hand and standing right beside them, and maybe Yang saw it on her face because her smile faltered a bit, but the rapidly approaching clicking noise caught all their attention.

Zwei trotted happily from the living room, visibly just gotten woken up by the commotion, but instantly Yang crouched, opening her arms wide in front of the dog.

“Zwei! _You_ will give me smooches!”

And the blonde was utterly pained when the dog easily trotted around her to happily jump against Ruby’s legs, completely ignoring Yang. The blonde wordlessly lowered her arms before sitting down on the floor, her legs crossed as she heaved a loud, deep sigh.

“Ruby has always been your favorite…” Yang mumbled under her breath, defeated.

“Was Blake with you?” Ruby asked her, paying no mind to her sister’s melodramatic antic.

“No,” Weiss let out, ripping her eyes away from Yang’s form as the blonde let her head hung low with her back to them, seemingly brooding. “She left earlier, said that she had errands to run.”

“Blake isn’t even there to welcome me back,” Yang complained in a small, whiney voice, her shoulders slouching even more.

“I did say welcome back,” Weiss reminded to her.

“You should come back with us, Weiss! We could have diner all together again!” Ruby happily chirped in, squeezing her hand a bit tighter in hers.

Yang only let out a very long and pitiful sigh before standing up, but when she turned around she was smiling, winking at her.

“No objections here! I’ll text Blake to make sure she’ll be there.”

“Well, I can’t say no now, can I?” she huffed, smiling.

“Nope!” both the sisters said at the same time, popping the ‘p’.

A couple of minutes later, they were walking out of the building to get in the car with the sister’s uncle, until Weiss stopped suddenly in her tracks, her eyes drilled on the man that was waiting, leaned against a beat up car that truly had seen better days.

“You!” she hissed, pointing a finger towards the man, feeling her features scrunching up as she stomped closer. “What are you doing here?”

As the man blinked lazily in her direction, both Ruby and Yang stared at her, dumbfounded at her sudden change of temperament.

“He’s our uncle Qrow, Weiss!” Ruby was the first to talk, her face scrunching up in worry.

“Oh?” the man leaned against the car let out, his voice low and rough. “You look familiar. Have we met?”

“He’s your _uncle_?” Weiss repeated, glancing at Ruby quickly before rubbing her eyes with an irritated huff. “I should have known. How many Qrow’s that are Huntsmen are there?”

“Wait a second,” the man said, narrowing his eyes as he stepped closer, before leaning over and resting his hands on his knees to look at her face to face in a rather humiliating manner, before his face split in half with a large smile. “I remember you! You’re Ice Queen’s little sister!”

“Don’t call her that!” she instantly bristled.

“So you’re my niece’s girlfriend, huh?” the Huntsman continued, seemingly ignoring her as he straightened his back with a sigh, scratching his head. “The world is a small place, sometimes.”

“It’s not small enough for you to bump into Winter again, so she could finish what _you_ have started!”

Snorting, Qrow only ran a hand in his dark, short hair, staring at her with his pale red eyes, a small smirk on his lips.

“It was already finished, Little Sister. Even when James intervened.”

“How dare you call the General by his first name!”

“What’s going on?” Yang asked helplessly, glancing quickly from Qrow to Ruby, wondering who would bring an answer the fastest.

“What is going on is that Little Sister here,” the Huntsman started, pointing at Weiss who was almost vibrating with rage, “Can’t take that her sister lost in a duel with me.”

“She didn’t lose! It was a draw!” she almost spitted, squeezing her fists tightly.

Qrow’s expression changed then, returning on Weiss with a suddenly more serious expression as he slipped his hands in his pockets, sighing a bit.

“Look, kid. I’ll say this only once, so listen carefully. James intervened to stop the fight because I was about to use my scythe. Do you understand? He stopped the duel because he didn’t want me to use it on her.”

He turned around, his cloak flapping behind him, but as he was about to open the driver’s door of the car, he looked over his shoulder, staring right at Weiss.

“I won in that moment. James knows your sister’s capacities. If he thought there was a chance for her to win, he would have let it be. Besides,” he added as he looked away, opening the door. “She knows she lost, too. So stop being so noisy and get in, I have other things to do.”

The door slammed shut, leaving her speechless and trembling in held up rage, and she barely felt Ruby’s hand on her arm, trying to get her attention as she kept glaring at the driver’s window.

“He started fighting with Winter in front of the entire platoon!” she grounded out as she turned to Ruby, keeping her teeth tightly clenched. “He even made the General intervene! And he made her look bad in front of _everyone_! Do you realise how _humiliating_ it has been for her?”

She remembered when her father heard the news, heard that Winter had caused a scene in front of the General, and she could remember precisely how long he yelled at Winter through the phone for making the Schnee name look weak and disgraceful. She remembered that, for the couple of weeks after this incident, her father would always take Winter as an example of what to not do as he kept saying that he would never let her tarnish the Schnee name in that manner.

She remembered being glad that Winter wasn’t living at the mansion at that time, glad that she only had to deal with the occasional phone calls. Although Winter had always been better at protecting herself from their father’s words.

But Winter’s absence had only made their father turn his anger on her, with all the ways he had made her pay for her sister’s mistake.

A hand resting on her shoulder this time, bigger than Ruby’s and warm, brought her back to the present as she turned around only to see concerned lilac eyes staring at her, and she suddenly remembered where they were, as she also remembered that she wasn’t alone.

“You okay?” the blonde asked quietly, keeping her hand on her shoulder firmly.

But before she could answer, a car honking cut through the air, and as they looked up they could see Qrow, impatiently waving at them in the driver’s seat, but before she could snarl at him she felt Ruby squeeze her hand again, and after a glance to her, Ruby’s silver eyes calm and leveled as they locked with hers, the younger girl gently guided her to the car. As Ruby opened the door for her, Weiss got in, pushing herself all the way to the other side, on the passenger’s side, before clicking her seatbelt on and crossing both arms and legs, and stared stubbornly outside. Keeping herself as far away from the Huntsman as she could in the small space of the car.

Yang took the front passenger seat while Ruby settled beside her, and only when everyone had buckle up, Qrow pulled away from the parking lot. The ride to the sister’s apartment wasn’t long, but the fact that no one was talking and the radio was turned off made the trip feel that much longer as nothing was there to fill the silence.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the familiar apartment building, she jumped out of the car, soon followed by Ruby and Zwei as the other girl sighed a bit as she did.

“He’s not going to bite you, you know,” Ruby told her quietly, brushing the back of her fingers on her arm.

Crossing her arms, she chose to stay silent as they waited for Yang, but as they waited the car window slid down, revealing a very bored-looking Qrow.

“The princess is still brooding I see,” he let out, and she heard the helpless sigh Ruby let out as she could feel herself bristle again. “I still don’t know why you’re so worked up about this. She lost, it’s not that bad, so what is it? You think her honor is tarnished somehow?”

Grinding her teeth together, she stayed silent again, only glaring at this insufferable man as Ruby was making motions at her uncle, trying to tell him to cut it out, but Qrow’s attention was on her and her only, his pale-red eyes considering her with all the seriousness of the world.

“Get over it, kid. Your sister’s a fine soldier; she just has a lot to learn still. But even if you can’t forgive me or whatever high horse you’re on, what can you do about it? Fight me in her place?”

He snorted harshly, and he looked her over from head-to-toe with a very doubtful look, but when he locked his eyes again with her, there was a knowing look in them that made her frown for a second.

“I don’t think you can, now, can you?”

Did she saw some sympathy in his eyes? It left her speechless with her eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at him, gaping, while Qrow only turned his attention to his nieces, pointing them with his chin in lieu of a proper wave.

“Bye, kiddos. Take care, and I’ll see you next time I’m in town.”

“Bye, uncle Qrow!” Ruby waved widely as the Huntsman pulled away from the side of the road. “Be careful!”

As the car was rolling away, they could see the man waving for a moment before he brought his arm back inside, but as the sisters stopped waving she could only stare at the car, a sudden realisation taking over her.

_He knows. How could he know? The only people that know are Father and Winter!_

There was no way this man could know. Absolutely no way. And yet, every fiber of her being screamed the same thing, over and over again.

_He knows!_

“Hey guys,” a familiar voice was heard behind her, bringing her back from her reverie. “How was the trip?”

She turned around in synch with the sisters, and Yang was the first to react as she threw her arms in the air above her head.

“Blake! Finally! Give me welcome back smooches!”

“What?” the faunus stopped in front of them, her expression faltering to one of surprise as her golden eyes discreetly went to Ruby.

“Well, as soon as Ruby saw Weiss, Weiss gave her welcome back smooches, but when I asked for some she didn’t want to. Even Zwei didn’t want to,” she added rather pitifully, slouching her shoulders and adding to her miserable look, before her expression brightened again. “So you give me welcome back smooches!”

Then she presented her cheek to Blake, tapping it a couple of times with her finger and waiting expectantly, and for a second a disappointed expression went on the faunus’s face but it was soon replaced by amusement as she reached up, gently grasping the blonde’s chin before pressing a kiss on her cheek. The whooping Yang let out afterwards made both Ruby and Weiss roll their eyes as it made Blake smile, and the situation was enough to calm the sudden panic that had taken over her, at Qrow’s insinuation.

But as she followed the sisters inside the building, smiling a bit when Ruby took Zwei in her arms to give him smooches too, she couldn’t help but glance back at the street, where the Huntsman had disappeared.

Did he really know?

 

****

 

“Are you okay?”

Ruby’s quiet question surprised her mid-bite, and she could see her concerned silver eyes on her while Blake and Yang were chatting happily on the other side of the table, seemingly forgetting that they were there. Quickly swallowing her bite as she lowered her fork, she nodded slightly with a hum.

“I am,” she assured with a smile. “Why are you asking?”

“Are you sure?” Ruby insisted still, her eyebrows furrowed. “You’ve been awfully silent ever since you met uncle Qrow. I mean, Blake was the one to tell us what you two did at _your_ place.”

It made her grimace, for she had not been aware of the conversation that had been going on. There were just… too much things on her mind.

“I’m sorry,” she let out, lowering her eyes. “I was… thinking.”

“Is it about the thing with your sister?”

“No, it’s… Something else.”

It only made Ruby’s eyebrows shot up, before the other girl turned a bit more towards her, indicating that she was all ears and ready to listen to whatever was troubling Weiss, and she felt equal parts grateful and irritated by it. It made her hesitate. This didn’t concern her, or them, she added as she glanced towards Blake and Yang as the pair was laughing. But…

She guessed… it would be nice to talk about it with someone.

But here wasn’t the place. Not now.

And so she reached over to rest a hand over Ruby’s, her touch light, but still instantly the other girl closed her fingers around hers.

“Maybe another time.”

She gave a feeble smile, one that Ruby returned as she was visibly a bit disappointed, but the younger girl still nodded, as understanding as ever, before squeezing her hand reassuringly. It set her mind at ease to know that Ruby was there for her, always.

Then, her blood ran cold when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, for she was looking at the only person who would ever call her. Hastily, she pulled her phone out and let out a gasp, her eyes widening as she stood abruptly, her eyes fixated on the screen of her phone.

“Weiss, what’s-” Ruby started, about to stand to.

“It’s Father,” she breathed, and somehow her voice echoed in the suddenly silent room as everyone was staring at her. “This is an unscheduled call, he never- Just stay quiet,” she pleaded, looking over the three other girls around the table. “I have to take this.”

Quickly, she moved away from the table and towards the living room, swiping her thumb on the screen before bringing her phone to her ear.

“Hello, Father,” she greeted, hating the way her voice would change whenever she talked to him.

As she listened to what he was saying – no greetings, as expected – she could feel the stare of everyone on her back, until she heard a chair scrapping behind her, making her turn around sharply. Yang was halfway up, having frozen in place when she pointed a finger at her, her plate in hand as she wanted to put it away, and the short silence on the line made her close her eyes.

“Yes, Father, I’m home,” she let out, hoping her voice sounded truthful. “I just knocked something over. I’m sorry, Father. It won’t happen again.”

As she could see Yang visibly swallow, her eyes fell on Blake, the faunus’s ears standing tall on her head and turned towards her, seemingly attentive, and she felt only mildly irritated that Blake was listening in on the conversation.

But her father’s next words made her lower her gaze to the ground, making the grip on her phone tightening slightly.

“I know, Father, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

She was barely aware that the blonde silently sat back in her chair, as silently putting her plate back on the table, but something her father said made her frown, made her focus entirely on the conversation.

“An Event? When?”

Very soon followed by:

“Oh.”

She turned around, giving her back to the table again as she grimaced when her father was unhappy with her reaction. Still, as she tried to ignore her father’s harsh words, she crossed her arms, holding herself tightly as she felt suddenly cold.

Going back. For a week. It was the last thing she needed right now. As she glanced back over her shoulder to Ruby, seeing the other girl smile at her, it gave her the kick she needed to ask what she wanted, and after taking a sharp breath in, she turned back again, decided.

“Father? Do I really have to participate? I don’t really-”

But she had to jerk her head away from her phone as soon as she said it, for her father was now yelling at her, that it was her duty as the heir, as a Schnee, that it was in her present and future, and that her not being there would be as absurd as her attitude. And so, when her father’s voice lowered to a reasonable level, she put the phone to her ear again, already feeling a weight on her chest that made it hard to breathe.

“I’m sorry. I will be there, Father.”

The last thing he said before hanging up abruptly was that he expected her to leave the very next day, for he had already booked her flight, and when she heard the tone, she lowered her hand, letting out a bone-deep sigh.

Leaving so soon after Ruby came back disappointed her more than she could ever say, but the fact that she was returning to Atlas was what frightened her the most.

Returning to that place. Seeing her father again, for the first time in two years. As she took in a shaky breath, she knew she wasn’t ready, not with such a short notice. Already, she could see the colors surrounding her tainted, somewhat paler than what they used to be, and she could feel the coldness that had taken over her spread inside her, like webs of ice on a fine layer of water as she stood there.

She wasn’t ready. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be.

Something warm brushing against her arm made her blink, made her turn her head to look over to see what it was, realising as she looked up that it was Ruby, for the girl was standing beside her with a worried frown on her face, using the smallest contact as she did not know if it was alright. But the sight of Ruby made her take a deep breath, the warmth of the room, the warmth of Ruby’s hand coming back to her, and she turned a bit more to see that Blake and Yang were standing too, looking at her.

They must have called her name multiple times, but she couldn’t recall it, for the cotton in her ears was fading away with the cold, and to see all their worried expression made her grimace, hating the attention it brought on her.

“I’m fine,” she answered Ruby’s silent question as she could read it in her eyes, before lowering her gaze to the floor.

“Are you sure?” the other girl asked nonetheless, gently moving her hand closer to hers and tentatively wrapping her forefinger with Weiss’s pinky.

It made her smile, ever so slightly. It was such a simple gesture, and yet, it warmed her to her core. And so, she nodded, squeezing a bit her finger, until Blake’s voice rose in the air.

“I’m so sorry.”

Ruby, Weiss and Yang turned to her then, wearing confused expression as the faunus’s golden eyes were fixated on Weiss, her ears low on her head. But before any of them could say something, Blake talked again.

“I’m so sorry that I ever thought you were a perpetrator. Then I thought you were just a passer-by, someone that wasn’t involved and neutral, but now… I understand you’re a victim, too. Although it may be worst, for you. My fight is against a name, a company. Yours is against the man himself.”

Her eyes locked with Blake’s for a moment, seeing in them compassion and newfound understanding. But she looked away, clearing her throat as she did, the weight that sat on her chest felt a bit heavier, now.

“I have to go,” she said quietly to Ruby, keeping her eyes cast low. “Father has requested my presence to an Event, and I have to leave tomorrow. It’s an early flight, and I have to pack.”

“Oh,” Ruby seemed to deflate at that, but she still kept her finger curled around hers. “Can I see you off, at least?”

“I’m sorry,” she lowered her head a bit more, feeling weariness wash over her. “Father will send people to pick me up, and they can’t see you.”

“But-”

“Ruby,” she interrupted as she looked up, locking her eyes with Ruby’s silver ones. “You have to understand. It’s ‘easier’ to upset him when we’re continents apart. But I’m going to see Father again for the first time in two years. I don’t want to upset him more than he already is.”

As the younger girl held her stare, she wondered if Ruby could see how frightened she was. Wondered if she could see that she wasn’t sure she would ever come back again. Wondered if Ruby could see that she was going to step in the dark, a place she never wanted to return again.

But Ruby only blinked before nodding slightly, not hiding her disappointment, and she felt a pang of guilt twisting in her gut. Ruby deserved suns and rainbows, flowers and sweets. All she ever gave was disappointment and coldness, and secrecy. Never before in her life had she wanted to be someone else so strongly.

Maybe she deserved to be alone. If anything, loneliness had always been her most loyal companion.

To her surprise, Ruby brought a hand up and gently cupped her cheek, her left one, as she thumbed her cheekbone lightly, ghosting over her scar there, and with a quiet sigh Ruby’s dark eyebrows furrowed slightly in a more serious expression.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop that. Right now.”

“But Ruby, I-”

She was gently interrupted as the younger girl cupped her face before leaning her forehead against hers, brushing their noses together lightly as Ruby kept her eyes locked with her, both her thumbs caressing, and Weiss automatically brought her hands up, wrapping her fingers around Ruby’s wrists loosely. She was dimly aware when Blake and Yang quietly returned to the table, leaving them somewhat alone, but Ruby’s attention stayed focused on her as she offered a kind smile.

“Weiss, it’s okay,” the younger girl breathed, her warm breath tickling her lips. “Yeah, I’m a bit disappointed, but it’s only because I’m selfish and want you all to myself. I know you have other things to do. So don’t worry; we’ll hang out when you come back. Okay?”

A smile still on Ruby’s lips, she leaned over, taking Weiss’s lips as softly as to not startle her, and she instantly closed her eyes, relaxing in it. The closeness of the other girl was reassuring, the solidity of the body pressed against hers grounding. Giving her strength for the next step.

Finally, Ruby pulled away, both her thumbs stroking her cheekbones, and in this moment, lost in the silver of her eyes… She knew she could stay forever like this, in Ruby’s hands, letting the other girl kiss her fears away, letting her mend her bruised soul between these soft, gentle hands.

“You know you can text or call me whenever,” Ruby murmured, keeping their eyes locked together.

“I will,” she breathed, somehow breathless in the moment.

“Good. Then I’ll just wait for you to come back.”

And Ruby smiled warmly, reassuringly, creating a flutter in her stomach and an ache in her chest. But it wasn’t painful, it was as if… her heart was soaring, but her chest wasn’t giving enough space. But she didn’t care. At all. And with a smile, she nodded, feeling that much lighter suddenly.

Someone clearing their throat brought her back to reality for the second time that day, and she looked over, seeing, yet again, that Yang was staring at them with a single eyebrow raised. Twirling her keys around her finger.

“So…” the blonde started, huffing a bit when the two scurried away, but they still held hands, their cheeks a bit red at that. “I heard you needed a lift?”

It made her furrow her brows.

“What do you mean, I have my… car…”

As she saw the smile on the blonde’s lips grow, she remembered what had happened earlier, with the sister’s uncle, and that she really didn’t come here with her car, leaving her indeed in need of a ride back to her apartment.

Yang, seemingly waiting for her to stumble upon this conclusion, twirled her keys one last time before launching them in the air, grabbing them easily as the blonde had a mile wide smile on her lips.

“Then let’s get going!” Yang happily chirped, turning around to grab a jacket from the hat rack.

As the blonde opened the front door, slipping her feet into her shoes, Weiss was struck there, dumbfounded as Ruby moved from her side to take her own jacket from the back of a nearby chair and draped it on Weiss’s shoulders while Blake, after one last glance at Yang, stepped closer to her, resting a light hand on her shoulder.

“Good luck,” the faunus said quietly.

She wondered for a moment if Blake meant the trip to Atlas, or the ride home. But the faunus stayed elusive as she patted her shoulder a few times before stepping back, and after hugging Ruby, she went out the door, following Yang.

 

****

 

“What do you mean, ‘just deal with it’? I’m wearing a skirt! I can’t simply ride your… your death machine!”

“Just tuck it under you.”

“Don’t you have a piece of clothing you could loan me?”

“Sorry, I don’t have that with me.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Weiss sat her hands on her hips as she stared at Yang’s bike, its owner leaning against it lazily as the blonde waited for Weiss to make up her mind, seemingly oblivious to the problem. But as she glanced at her wristwatch, her eyes widened: it was already seven in the evening! And she wasn’t even started to pack up! Biting her lip, she decidedly stepped forward, eyeing hardly the yellow and black bike.

“Alright. Let’s go,” she all but muttered, not helping the scowl forming on her face at Yang’s shit-eating grin.

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Without further protest, Yang fished two helmets from under the leather seat; one black and yellow, the other black and red, and the blonde offered the red one to her, before slipping hers on her head, easily snapping it under her chin. Weiss on the other hand, looked at the helmet she was given, before reluctantly putting it on, fumbling with the straps under her chin, but Yang only chuckled, lifting the window of her helmet.

“Let me help you,” she offered, already swatting Weiss’s hands aside.

With an irritated roll of her eyes, she crossed her arms but still let the blonde work, her prosthetic cold against her skin, but even after she heard the distinctive snap, Yang kept pulling on the straps until it was flush against her, and after tentatively moving the helmet on her head, Yang nodded, satisfied with her work.

“You have a smaller head than Ruby’s,” the blonde offered as an explanation before throwing a leg over the bike, straddling it. “Had to adjust it. Now, only get on when I tell you, okay?”

Before she could answer, Yang turned the key and the bike was brought to life, roaring in a deafening sound, and the blonde revived it a few times before she leaned over, kicking back the foot that kept the bike upright, before gesturing to Weiss.

“Get on!”

Startled, Weiss froze. Yang’s voice resonated right in her ears! She heard the blonde chuckling, and saw her tap her own helmet a few times.

“The helmets are connected together, with mics and all. That way, we can chat even when we’re riding!”

“Oh. That’s… great,” she only managed, hesitantly stepping closer. “How do I… You know I’m a bit small.”

“Put your foot right there,” Yang leaned over, pointing at a small step right behind hers.

Following Yang’s instructions, she finally climbed on behind her, tucking her skirt under her thighs, and Yang had the grace to wait until she was absolutely sure everything would stay in place before moving.

“Alright, hang on!”

Carefully setting her hands on the blonde’s waist, she heard Yang chuckle in her ears. She couldn’t just cling on her. It was Ruby’s sister, after all.

But as soon as the bike moved, Yang slowly rolling out of the parking lot before going on the street, she was flushed against Yang, her arms circling tightly around the blonde’s form in a death grip, hanging on for dear life, and with Yang’s laugh resonating in her ears, the bike speed up. As they were passing cars and moving around the traffic, she couldn’t help but tightening her grip as she closed her eyes, wondering if her end would be like this.

After a while though, she got used to the vibration of the bike under her, got used to the wind roaring in her ears even through the helmet, and the noises of passing cars were slowly becoming scarce, and so, she slowly cracked an eye open, seeing the city slowly get farther away as the sky was taking oranges and purple glow, for the sun was setting.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked, not recognizing where they were. She had to say she hadn’t really been anywhere around Vale besides her apartment, Beacon and the sister’s apartment.

“I thought we could take the scenic route!”

“Yang, I don’t have time-”

“Stop complaining and look at your right!”

They entered a tunnel then, but they already could see the end of it coming rapidly, and with a deep sigh – besides, what more could she do? Jump off? – She turned her head to the right, waiting for the tunnel exit. And when they did, she couldn’t help the gasp she let out.

She didn’t know Vale was this close to the sea. As she looked over her shoulder, she could understand why; they had to take the tunnel they just went through to pass through the mountain that hid the sight from the city. Even now, Vale was hidden behind it. And so, she returned her attention to the sight in front of her, for the colors of the sky was reflecting on the water as the sun was slowly sinking in it.

She could feel that Yang went at a slower pace, probably had kept the maddening pace to arrive before the sun had set, and they followed lazily the road that went along the shore, and even with the helmet on she could hear the waves crashing against the rocks, down below. Birds flew up in the orange sky, like tiny waves swirling up in the air, and the few clouds that were rolling by were colored with various shades of pinks and yellows and oranges, and just like that, she felt a bit more at peace, resting her head against Yang’s back as she enjoyed the sight.

Before long, the sun had set, but Yang kept the comfortable pace with the bike, but slowly they came back towards the city. She didn’t know how low the ride lasted, not that she really cared. It was a nice change, to not be the driver, that she had the time to actually see what was around. Even more because she never really got out of the city, too.

Finally, Yang stopped in front of Weiss’s apartment building, turning the bike off as she climbed off, stumbling a bit. Her legs were sore from being so stiff, when they first went off in a mad dash through the city, but as she pulled the helmet off, she felt a lot calmer than when she left the sister’s apartment. When Yang climbed off her bike, pulling her helmet off too, she could see that the blonde was satisfied with Weiss’s expression.

Still, it was a bit hesitant that she looked down at the helmet again, turning it in her hands, before finally giving it back, a smile on her lips.

“Thank you for the ride home,” she said. “And… for the scenic route.”

Yang only smiled as she gracefully took the helmet, a smile on her lips, too.

“My pleasure. Ruby always loved this place.”

But as she sat both helmets on the seat of the bike, her smile faltered, leaving place to a much more serious expression as her lilac eyes came back on her, a flash of concern in them.

“Are you going to be okay? I mean, this whole thing… You seemed a lot distressed about it.”

Her own smile vanished then, suddenly remembering why Yang had been cheering her up, and she crossed her arms over her chest, hating the way she was always so defensive.

“It doesn’t concern you, Yang. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, princess.”

It only made her arch a single eyebrow as Yang let out a short sigh, resting her hands on her hips as her lilac eyes considered her for a moment.

“I don’t need to know the details, really, because you’re right, it’s none of my business, _but_ ,” the blonde held a finger in the air. “I only need to know if you’re going to be alright. As Ruby’s girlfriend, as Blake’s friend and as mine, too. Because I like you, Weiss.”

The blonde paused for a moment before stepping closer, and she gently rested her left hand, her flesh one, on top of her head, gently rubbing there.

“I have to take care of my girls,” Yang smiled softly, somehow looking proud as she looked down at her.

Weiss was left speechless. It was with eyes as wide as saucers that she was staring at the blonde, and she didn’t resist when Ruby’s sister pulled her into her arms in a loose hug, and she stayed there, dumbstruck.

She had to say… The sisters had grown important in her life. She could remember what Ruby had said, that night at her apartment, when she had felt broken and so alone.

_You have me. And, you know, you also have Yang by having me. Package deal. Two for the price of one._

“Aw come on, hug me back!”

Yang’s words brought her back to the present as she realised she was still standing in the blonde’s embrace, and she managed to raise a single eyebrow, looking up at the taller girl.

“I’ve been hugging you for the past hour and a half.”

“Pff, that wasn’t a hug and you know it. Come on, snow pea, show me some love.”

“‘Snow pea’?” she repeated, pulling away slightly, but the incredulous tone she had used had overruled the annoyed one.

“Yeah! ‘Cause you’re so tiny, like a pea! And you always dress in white or light blue, and your hair is white, so I have to work with the color scheme, you know.”

She couldn’t believe how _proud_ Yang looked at the nickname, and it made her roll her eyes but after a moment, she hesitantly reached around the blonde’s waist, looping her arms around her, and Yang’s smile only widened then as she felt her set a hand on her head again, gently holding her.

She closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the blonde’s shoulder, enjoying the feeling until she realised that she hadn’t answered Yang’s question, and it made her open her eyes just a bit.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “And I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” Yang asked in the same way. “Just say the word if there’s something. I got my bike to drive me about everywhere.”

“Not sure your bike can fly all the way to Atlas, though.”

There was a short pause.

“Blake can probably hijack a plane. Or something. She’ll be far too happy to raid the Schnee Mansion.”

It made her snort as she pulled away, seeing that Yang was smiling as the blonde set both her hands on her shoulders, squeezing shortly before letting them slide down, her lilac eyes scanning her frame for a moment.

“You can keep the jacket. I’m sure Ruby won’t mind. Besides, I heard it was a bit cold in Atlas.”

“‘A bit’? You should check your Intel. Atlas is not ‘cold’, it’s ‘freezing’.”

With a quiet laugh, Yang returned to her bike, storing the red helmet under the leather seat before putting on the yellow one as she climbed on her bike.

“Drive safe,” Weiss offered with a wave, smiling when lilac eyes looked up.

“Always do,” the blonde smirked then as she turned the key, reviving the bike a few times, and it made her roll her eyes.

With a short nod, Yang closed the window of her helmet, and after one last wave to her, Yang pulled away from the side of the road, turning the bike around in a cloud of smoke and in a thunder of screeching tire and roaring motor, the smell of burnt rubber heavy in the air, and she was shaking her head with a deep sigh as the yellow bike sprinted away down the road.

She stayed there for a moment, hearing the sound of Yang’s bike slowly fading and merging with the distant sounds of the city, and it was only when she couldn’t hear it that she turned around, looking up at the building behind her, her eyes settling on the panoramic window that lead to her living room. Just looking at it filled her with dread and apprehension of the week to come.

She sighed again, bundling up in Ruby’s jacket. Not that it was cold, though. It was just because it smelled just like her. And she pulled she phone out, quickly sending Ruby a text to tell her that she was safely home.

She slept with Ruby’s jacket on, that night. Well, ‘slept’ was the word she decided to use, but she barely closed her eyes all night, turning and tossing in bed, Ruby’s scent not enough to calm her down. And so, it was standing in front of the window, in the living room, already dressed and with her suitcase at her feet that she watched the sky changing color as the sun was rising.

She checked her wristwatch. She knew her father’s men were always on time. She only had an hour to kill before they would be there to pick her up. A list of possibility stretched before her eyes, but she knew she was too distracted to do any of it. So she went to the kitchen, working to make herself the best coffee she could before leaving to this awful, bitter place.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry if the updates aren't the most regular, but I'm juggling with a bunch of things at the same time, and I'm doing my best.
> 
> Anyway, here it is! I hope you enjoy it!

She was glad that the person that was there to pick her up from the airport wasn’t her father, but Klein, the family’s butler. He was glad to see her, even held her hands tightly in his. She was happy to see him too, for the man was more a father to her than her real father, but maybe she was just jetlagged and tired for she hadn’t been able to sleep during the flight, because Klein was barely able to snatch a smile out of her. Never deterred, he talked a lot in the car as they were making the trip to the mansion, but she only stared outside, sighing as she took in the snowy scenery of her birthplace.

She didn’t miss the cold. She didn’t miss the snow, everywhere the eye could see. She didn’t miss the wind whipping everything it could touch. Didn’t miss the people there, either.

She didn’t miss the absence of colors, for as far as the eye could see, there were only black, white, and varying shades of blue that could be seen. In fact, she hated it. She already missed warmer colors. Like red.

She sighed again as she looked up, trading the sight of the snowy banks to the electric blue of Atlas’s summer sky. It was a striking change from the dark winters, where the place barely had four hours of daylight. In summer, it was the opposite; only a few hours of night, stretching the daylights for up to around twenty hours when at its peak, and the weather was greatly warmer than in winter. Perfect for any Events.

She couldn’t believe that, farther up north from here, in the deepest part of the frozen lands there, there were times when the sun didn’t set at all for a couple of months at a time. And there were times when it didn’t rise, either.

Still, it wasn’t, and by far, Vale’s summer. She bundled up in her winter coat with a slight shiver, sinking her gloved hands deeper in her pockets, and she barely noticed that Klein turned on the heater of the car. She let out a relieved huff when the warm air seeped through her coat, and she pulled her hands out of her pockets, rubbing them together.

“… And Duke Stapleton will be there as well, along with his son and heir. I believe he is the same age as you, if I remember correctly. The Vasilias will be there as well; they have many banks throughout Vale and Mistral, even some in Vacuo. There will be the Sustrai, too, and-”

“Sustrai?” she interrupted quietly, listening with one ear at the names Klein recited, seemingly remembering the list of guests by heart. “I don’t recall hearing that name before.”

“It’s the first year they are invited, indeed,” the butler nodded. “They are jewelers.”

“Jewelers. Right.”

Klein sent her a knowing look before returning his attention to the road, avoiding a patch of ice that he saw at the last second.

“I don’t know how they managed to get your father’s attention, even less how they got an invitation. Anyway, they will be there.”

She let out a non-committal hum as she peeled her glove off her left hand, rubbing carefully at her eyes to not smudge her make up. She had remembered at the last minute that she had to cover her scar, and that simple fact had irked her much more than she liked to admit, but now, with the stress and the lack of sleep and the endless recital of Klein’s guest list, she could feel a migraine rolling in, treacherous, in the back of her head.

It had been an incredibly long flight, after all.

“Are you alright, Miss Schnee?”

The butler’s gentle inquiry made her look up at him, seeing the frown on his features as he kept his focus on the road, but it only made Weiss grimace as she looked back outside.

“You can call me Weiss, Klein. There is no need to be so formal.”

“But-”

“Klein. Please.” She paused there, letting out a short sigh, her breath creating a spot of mist on the cold window. “Could you do that for me?”

A silence settled in the cabin of the car, and only now did she realise that Klein had turned on the radio, putting it so low that it was almost inaudible under their voices. That was strange. She knew Klein preferred to drive without the radio, for it distracted him or so he claimed. But Klein also knew that Weiss preferred with the radio on. It made her smile sadly, to see that he was still as kind as ever.

“Alright. Weiss.”

The man cleared his throat quietly, clearly uncomfortable with the lack of formality that he had been forced to uphold, but she decided to let it be, keeping her gaze outside as she looked at the tall buildings of the city, seemingly faraway in the snowy landscape.

“Will Father be there?” she asked, feeling her throat tightening slightly as she asked.

“No, Master Schnee is outside for business until the day of the Event, but he left the planning to me. You don’t have to worry, it will be as if Master Schnee himself was in charge of this.”

“I don’t mind at all, Klein. I’m not here by choice,” she murmured, wondering if he heard.

An awkward silence followed. He definitely heard.

“Mistress Schnee will be there, though. And young Master Schnee. I believe he was impatient to see you again, which is, and I say this without any formality, really strange.”

It made her huff, nervousness twisting her gut. Whitley, wanting to see her? Saying it was strange was the understatement of the year.

“Great,” she breathed, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the head-rest. “Just what I need.”

“Pardon?”

“I said thank you, Klein,” she lied with a graceful smile.

She heard him huff under his breath, and she knew that he didn’t believe her, but she couldn’t care much, right now.

At least, her father wouldn’t be there.

So, she would be three days free of him, the fourth day she would maybe have glimpses of him, and the fifth day, after the Event… She could feel the scowl on her face.

Shaking her head, she fished her phone from the depths of her pocket, looking at the time. Almost nine p.m. She could see that her phone was still in plane mode, and flicked it off, wondering if Ruby had texted her during her flight. A soft smile graced her lips when she saw that the younger girl did, wishing her a nice flight and asking to text her back when she landed, but she also noticed a text message from an unregistered number and, frowning, she opened it.

|As per our earlier conversation, Blake CAN hijack a plane. She was a bit weirded out at the question, but she looked confident in her answer. So, you know.|

It made her blink a couple of times before she narrowed her eyes a bit, quickly typing something.

|… Yang?|

The answer didn’t take long to come.

|Right on!|

|How did you get my number? Blake again?|

|Nooo I borrowed it from Rubble’s phone.|

|I don’t think it’s really ‘borrowing’.|

|Details, Snow Pea. You’re so full of them.|

She rolled her eyes, equal parts irritated as she was smiling a small smile, quickly informing Ruby that she had landed and was en route to her family’s mansion, before dropping her phone on her lap, returning her attention outside. She could see, in the distance, a plane start its ascension up in the sky, recognising the smaller proportions from a military plane as it was taking off from the nearby military base, and it made her perk up in her seat, turning to Klein.

“Will Winter be there too?”

The chagrined smile he sent her way was enough of an answer, and she felt her shoulders sag slightly.

“An invitation was sent to her, but she gave no news. Master Schnee thinks she might be away on a mission.”

She nodded still, before sighing as she looked back, sinking in her seat. She could remember times, when she was younger, when she had been excited to see the summer days, been feverish to the thought of Events and parties held at the Schnee mansion, when she had been genuinely looking forward for this time spent with her father.

Now, these feelings were certainly gone.

 

**** 

 

Her arrival at the mansion had been incredibly uneventful. The staffers bowed their heads as they usually did at the mere sight of one of the family members, and, to her surprise, nobody was waiting for her.

Not her mother, not Whitley.

Not that she minded, on the contrary. It only gave her an excuse to lock herself in her old bedroom, retrieving her childhood safe place for the first time in two years.

The sun that still filtered through the window was angled and pooling on her bed, where she sat her suitcase. As she looked around, she could see that the room had went untouched, minus the few things she took to Vale with her. Now, the spot where a picture sat on her nightstand was empty, along with a few things on her dresser.

Leaving her suitcase on the bed, she slowly padded to the glass-door leading to a balcony outside as she turned on her heels, taking in the bedroom, remembering her younger self brushing her hair in front of the mirror, how many hours she had spent looking through her wardrobe to choose what she would wear, remembering the late night talks with Winter, sitting on her bed, before her sister left for the military.

She smiled ruefully. Winter had been her best friend then, her confident and mentor. Now, they barely could see each other more than fifteen minutes, a handful of times through the years. And Winter had grown distant, more rigid and disciplined. It had been a hard feat, for how they were raised under their father’s ministration, but it only resulted to leave a gap between them. She still looked up to Winter, still cherished her, but… It was different, now.

Everything was different, she thought with a slight sigh, turning to the glass-door, discreetly hidden behind the opened curtains, the fabric thick and heavy, but somehow really soft to the touch. She remembered how she used to bury her face in the fabric, needing something soft to touch her in the last month before moving to Vale, when she had never felt more alone in her life.

She stopped beside the curtains, extending a hand to touch it with the tips of her fingers. How many tears had it absorbed? How many times had she hid between the ripples of the fabric, feeling it heavy on her, feeling it so reassuring? Her pillows had served to scream in them, to punch and tear and throw. The curtains, oddly enough, had served as comforters.

Pushing it slightly, the rays of the sun caught on a spot, darker than the dark blue of the fabric. She ran a thumb over it, letting out a deep, slow breath. Blood, from when the wound over her eye was fresh.

She let her hand fall to her side, glancing over the room, a strange feeling twisting her gut. She had left to Vale thinking that she would be free from under her father’s thumb. Thinking that she would be free, period.

How naïve of her to think that.

Feeling her lips twist, she pushed through, opening the glass-door and barely shivering as a cold breeze entered, lifting the curtains a bit. Crossing her arms, she stepped on the balcony, her steps crunching slightly against the snow there, and she took in a sharp breath, feeling the cold air hit her nose like a thousand tiny blades of ice.

Then she huffed with a smile, wondering if Ruby would like this snowy, frozen land.

 

**** 

 

She avoided to text or call Ruby, during her stay. Not that she didn’t want to, it’s just… She was morose most of the time. Distracted. Stressed and on edge. Ruby didn’t need that. Every living moment as she walked along the long, narrow hallways was filled with bitter-sweet memories, following her like ghosts. Memories of lonely times, of when she was hurt and in pain latched their claws into her skin, and she had to drag them around like dead weights, heaving on her mind. At some point, she crossed herself in the mirror, seeing the makeup she had applied in the morning still perfectly hiding her scar, hiding this part of her, and for a second she could swear it hadn’t happened yet.

She could tell that Ruby understood, having caught on Weiss’s few short answers. Or maybe she only thought that she was busy.

But Ruby insisted on one thing, through many messages: That she was there for her, whenever she needed. The simple thought was comforting. She would look at it as she walked through a hallway, her mind clearing a bit at the sight of Ruby’s picture, up in the left corner of the screen of her phone, seeing too late that someone had stepped in front of her, and it was with a quiet yelp that she bumped on the person.

Thinking that it was a maid or one of the staff, she was already starting to mumble apologies, steadying the person, until she looked up to lock her eyes with light-blue eyes, and saw an enigmatic smile on the person’s pale lips.

Oh, Great. Whitley.

“Dearest sister,” her younger brother smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t you ever look at where you are going?”

Her eye twitched. She knew he had stood in front of her on purpose, for there were no doors close to them, no other hallways that crossed this part. Her apologies would be a lot less sincere, now.

“I’m sorry, Whitley,” she let out, her voice cutting. “You blend in so much with your surroundings, I didn’t see you.”

His smile vanished then as she stepped around him, continuing her trek. She could feel his stare on her nape, and soon, she heard his steps behind her, and she gritted her teeth, returning her phone in her pocket, safe from view. The last thing she wanted was for her snitch of a brother to tell her father that she was in contact with Ruby.

To her surprise, Whitley didn’t say anything, only following her around, and she had turned a corner before turning around, meeting her brother’s ever enigmatic smile.

“What do you want, Whitley?” she snapped, feeling herself bristling at the very discreet way her brother’s smile inched larger. “Don’t you have someone else to follow around, like a lap dog? Oh right,” she let out, feigning remembrance before he could talk. “Father isn’t here.”

Again, his smile dropped, but this time he narrowed his eyes dangerously, but she only turned around, resuming her walk, waving above her shoulder.

“Follow someone else, then. I’m busy.”

“I only wanted to spend some time with you, but fine, I guess,” he shrugged slightly. “Oh, by the way…”

Stopping when he trailed off, she turned back to him with a sharp sigh, raising her eyebrows at him, urging him to drop whatever he wanted, and he took the time to watch her from head to toe, a wicked smile on his lips.

“How is the Huntress training going?”

Tensing up was one of the words she could use to describe this moment. Bristling, too. A storm grew in her head, anger making her vision narrow on this insolent smile as all the muscles in her body were taut from sheer fury, feeling her stomach churn as he mimicked her earlier behavior, falsely remembering something.

“Oh, right… You can’t. Sorry, I forgot.”

“Whitley, you-”

“Are you going to _insult_ me?” he mockingly asked with a huff, before clicking his tongue.

Curling her hands into tight fists, she couldn’t help the twist on her lips when he lazily stepped closer to her, stopping barely a foot from her, side by side.

“What have you been doing, Weiss? I don’t think Father would approve of your manners.”

“I don’t care what he thinks,” she snarled, glaring daggers at her brother.

“And yet,” Whitley looked at her shortly, his smile dropping from his lips. “I’m not the one living only by Father’s words.”

He gave her a small smile that never reached his eyes, along with a slight bow of his head as goodbye, before padding away, the click of his shoes quiet in the silent hallway as she stayed there, her glare turned at her feet, now.

She was on her way to the kitchen to make herself something to eat before going to bed, but her stomach churned again, knotting tightly, and the simple thought of food made her feel sick.

This whole place made her feel sick.

She went back to her room without food.

 

**** 

 

The next following days, she kept avoiding her brother – or anyone, as a matter of fact – as she mostly stayed in her room. She missed Ruby already. But their moment together had been so short, and she had been distracted about… about herself. She had been so caught up with her problems that she had barely enjoyed Ruby’s presence, to be together again. She had been glad that Blake was there, while the sisters were gone. At least, she hadn’t been alone.

Now it was completely different. She was alone. So sickly alone. She wished she could just go back. She wished she could leave now, before the Event, and rise her middle finger to her father when he would ask her to come back. She wished she could take her own actions, live under no rules but her own.

But it wasn’t like that. She could feel the shackles that went with her name everywhere she went. The only time she hadn’t felt them was with Ruby, the girl who didn’t know who she was.

She slept with Ruby’s jacket again, hoping it wouldn’t lose its scent too fast. She wished she could wrap herself in it, and forget about the world for a moment. She wanted to be with Ruby. She wanted the girl to wrap her arms around her, to hold her until she stopped feeling so damn helpless and powerless. She wanted to be made whole again.

Curled up on her bed, hidden under Ruby’s jacket that she had draped over her head, she brought her phone under the fabric, squinting her eyes in front of the bright light of the screen as she typed a short message to the other girl.

|I miss you.|

As she counted quickly, she knew it was a bit early in the morning in Vale right now, but still, Ruby’s response was almost immediate.

|Aw, Weiss! I miss you too!|

It managed to make her smile as she felt so tired. Weary.

|I sleep with your jacket, at night. It smells like you.|

|You do? Aw shucks, I don’t have anything from you!|

|I’m sorry. Next time, I will leave something for you.|

|:D|

It made her huff with a fond smile, imagining Ruby grinning as she was still in bed with her hair messier than usual for she had just woke up, until a sharp knock at the door pulled her out of her reverie. With a sigh, she closed her eyes for a second, but didn’t move from her spot.

“What is it, Klein?”

She heard the door opening, a single step clicking in her room, and it was easy to know why, for the heiress of the biggest company on the surface of the planet seemed to hide under a jacket that was visibly not hers, curled up on top of the covers of the bed like she was a brooding five-years old.

Never deterred, Klein silently stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“Miss Weiss,” he said quietly, and she sighed. They had come to an agreement, for the lack of title was making Klein uncomfortable, but she still wanted him to call her by her name. “Your father has asked that you review the planning for tomorrow’s event.”

“Why? He trusted you with it, and I know you did your best. Just approve them for me.”

“Miss Weiss,” the butler gently insisted. “Master Schnee wants your signature on the reviews.”

She let out a long, bone deep sigh. Why, of all the other time she had been here, her father wanted something from her _now_? She wanted to talk to Ruby. Wanted to feel close to her even if the girl wasn’t here, surrounded by her scent and imagining her voice read the messages. She would call her, but a spoken conversation was easier to eavesdrop on. And she knew that the walls had ears, here.

“Fine,” she finally muttered.

She could hear Klein hum, but he didn’t seem to move. Neither did she. Instead, she curled a little more under the jacket, wishing she could disappear.

“Klein,” she called quietly, and she could almost see through the jacket as the butler would have raised his head, attentive. “Do you like this place? Like the work you are doing? Answer honestly. I don’t care for platitudes.”

The man seemed to mull the question over, seemingly reviewing his service through the years, before he took a sharp breath in, clearing his throat quietly.

“I have grown to like it,” he finally said, his tone genuine. “Although, some people made it easier. Like this little snowflake, for example. I don’t know if you remember her?”

Suddenly, his quiet voice wasn’t coming from the butler anymore, taking the softer, genuinely caring of the man that was Klein, the man that cared for her, the one that would go to great length to make her smile, and she pulled the jacket down from her head to look at him, seeing the soft smile on his lips, half hidden under his impeccable mustache.

“A bit,” she smiled slightly, one of her hands leaving her phone to stretch out from under Ruby’s jacket and extending in the butler’s direction, expectantly. “You made this place a bit more bearable.”

With a quiet huff, Klein stepped closer, shoving the rigid behavior to the side for a moment as he gently took her hand, squeezing. It was warm and thick, feeling strong as he ran his thumb over her knuckles in a soothing manner, and she could see a small, sad smile on his lips, the color of his eyes flickering between two colors.

“I’m sorry this place makes you so sad,” he said quietly. “Home shouldn’t make a soul feel like they don’t belong.”

“This isn’t my home, Klein. Not anymore.”

“But one day it will be again,” he gently insisted, squeezing her hand again.

He was right, of course. One day, years from now, the manor will be her home. Away from Vale.

Away from Ruby.

She had tried not to think of the bigger picture, had tried it many times over the months, shoving it to the back of her head or just simply ignoring it. Because Klein was right. One day, when her father’s reign over the company would come to an end, she would have to come back. She would have to leave.

A frown graced Klein’s features, noticing that his reassuring words had the opposite reaction as she lowered her eyes to their joined hands, slowly creeping back under the jacket.

“I will be right with you,” she said, returning to the task Klein had come with and visibly troubling the butler. “I just need a moment.”

He stared at her for a second more before wordlessly bowing his head, squeezing her hand one last time before pulling away and silently left the room, the door clicking shut behind him as she pulled the jacket over her head again.

For a few seconds, she stayed there, motionless, with her phone still in her hand, until she returned her attention on it again.

|I have to go.|

It took a few seconds before an answer came and there were a couple of letters that didn’t have its place in a couple of words, but she figured that Ruby was texting with one hand, while she was devouring her cereals like she hadn’t eaten in months.

|Okay! Talk to you later!|

|I don’t want to go. I want to be with you.|

She grimaced at her own neediness, wondering if Ruby would notice, wondering if the younger girl would find it weird, and when it took a full minute for Ruby to answer, she could feel a spike of anxiety, a needle of nervousness in her heart until her phone vibrated in her hand, Ruby finally answering.

|Are you okay?|

Instantly followed by:

|Don’t get me wrong, I like it when you say you want to be with me, but usually you’re a little bit more subtle than that, so…|

She stared at the screen of her phone for a moment, not surprised that Ruby saw right through, and it was almost second nature to her when she typed in the next message, hitting send before she could think of doing otherwise.

|I’m fine.|

|You always say that. What’s up? Do you want me to call?|

Oh, how she wanted to hear Ruby’s voice. To see her smile and to feel how closely she would hug her. But Ruby wasn’t here. And she couldn’t call Ruby, either.

|No. The walls have ears, here.|

|Oh…|

|But I wish you could. I miss you rambling over and over again about your schematics.|

|You say this as if we haven’t met for a whole year.|

|I feel like it has been that long.|

Her phone vibrated in her hand, but it wasn’t Ruby this time, it was a message from Klein, asking if she was coming. She knew he didn’t want to pressure her, but she also knew that there was a whole bunch of things to review, and that Klein still had a lot to do, and so, she sighed again, finally pulling the jacket off her head.

|I really have to go, now.|

|Talk to you soon!| Came the instant answer, and it made her smile lightly.

As she got up, she pocketed her phone, proceeding to leave it on silent to make sure she wouldn’t get distracted, before steeling herself, squaring her shoulders, and finally getting out of the room.

 

**** 

 

In the end, she had helped Klein with the final preparations, the large ballroom buzzing with activity even late at night, and she found she liked it, not seeing the time pass as she was actively trying to avoid her brother in any way. Finally, when she got to her room again, the sun was setting for it was nearly two in the morning, and she stepped out of her shoes, grimacing a bit when she finally could ease off the pain wearing them for too long brought.

She dropped on top of the bed, the mattress feeling bouncy and soft under her, and she rolled on her back as she stretched, exhaustion rending her completely sore, and she reached in her pocked, pulling out her phone. Checking if she had any text messages out of habit, she paused then, seeing that she had a missed call from Ruby, and a voicemail, and so, furrowing her brows, she went to check it, bringing her phone to her ear.

“Hi Weiss!”

Ruby’s cheerful voice right in her ear made her raise her eyebrows shortly, a bit surprised, but to finally hear her voice elicited a smile on her lips, and she returned her attention on what Ruby was saying.

“I know you don’t want me to call because you think someone might hear you talking, but nobody said anything about _me_ talking and _you_ listening! So I thought about leaving you a voicemail!”

She heard a rustling of paper as Ruby hummed quietly for a second, seemingly getting something in order, and she also could hear a faint clanking in the background, along with soft music, and she figured that Ruby was sitting at the kitchen table while Yang was washing the dishes, and she closed her eyes, trying to envelop herself in this familiar feeling.

“Okay, so,” Ruby’s voice continued, as cheerful as ever. “Did I talk to you about my oldest project? It isn’t something from school or something, it’s one I kept to myself! I call it: Crescent Rose, and it will be my baby, I’m telling you. So, you see, it’s a high-caliber sniper-scythe, and it’s really awesome. Let me tell you why.”

There was another rustle of paper, and she huffed, her smile inching larger as Ruby proceeded to describe how the weapon would be made, what it could do, the kind of power it could hold and so on, rambling with frantic rustling of papers as the younger girl was shifting from schematics to the other. Weiss was glad. Happy, even. With enough imagination, she could almost picture herself in the same room as Ruby, imagining her smiling when she could hear it in her voice, fumbling with the papers on the table, shifting on her chair when she could hear it creak.

She fell asleep before the end of the message, without even having moved from her spot on the bed, but her dreams were filled with roses and schematics, with Ruby’s voice ringing in her ears.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So I wanted to wait a bit and finish my chapter for Life support, but here I am, with my Parallel vibes. Anyway, here it is! I hope you'll enjoy it!

A knock at the door woke her up, jumping slightly, and as soon as she opened her eyes she knew she had less than six hours of sleep, and as she turned her head to the side, glancing at the clock on the side of her bed, it confirmed it as she closed her eyes with a grunt.

“Miss Weiss,” Klein’s voice was heard through the door, his voice as assured and energized as always even though he probably had less sleep than her. “I’m sorry to wake you up, but-”

“Klein, it’s seven in the morning,” Weiss almost whined, rolling on her side as she curled a bit more on herself.

It was only now that she remembered she was still dressed and laying sideways on top of the bed, and the hard rectangle she could feel against her cheek made her realize that she fell asleep with her phone still against her ear, and she lazily reached for it, tossing it further away on the mattress.

“You have to prepare, Miss Weiss,” the butler gently insisted. “The first guests arrive around eleven, and you are to greet them in Master Schnee’s place.”

“When is he coming back, then? I though Father was going be there for the Event.”

“And he will,” Klein was still talking through the door, his voice muffled but still clear. “The jet will be landing at one in the afternoon.”

It made her sigh deeply, running a hand over her face to try and conceal her irritation at this added responsibility, but she only gritted her teeth as she sat up, the cold of the floor seeping through her socked feet as they touched it.

“Fine, I’m up,” she grumbled. “Come in.”

Instantly, the door opened as Klein strode in, already suited up in formal attire as he held what looked like a gown draped over his arm, one that he very delicately set on a hanger at Weiss’s wardrobe, barely sparing her a glance as he did. With another sigh, she rose to her feet, dragging them closer to where Klein was fretting over the gown, and she looked it over for a second, blinking slowly.

It was… a beautiful dress. She could tell even without touching that it was made of silk, a dark blue that had the shine of a sapphire when it caught the light, with a round collar that exposed most of her shoulders and chest without being improper, with an opening on the back that would show most of her shoulder blades. A few laces crisscrossed there, too, making sure it would hug her frame. It was accompanied with a pendant, a teardrop of sapphire almost the same blue as the fabric, caught in a ring of silver, with matching earrings that Klein carefully set down on the dresser.

For a long moment, she stared at the gown that hung there, appreciating it already, and it _was_ the kind of dress she would have picked. The only thing that dimmed her enthusiasm was that it was her father who chose it, along with the jewelleries.

“Do you want me to ask Mistress Schnee to help you with your preparations?” Klein asked, suddenly pulling her back from her reverie.

“No, thank you,” she hurriedly declined the suggestion, hoping it wasn’t too apparent. “I can manage just fine.”

The butler hummed then, his features pulled in a slight frown as he glanced at her from head to toe, straightening his back a little as he did.

“I will leave you the choice of what shoes to wear, then. Find me in the ballroom when you are finished, so we can review the last details.”

He bowed his head, forgetting their agreement as he was distracted, his mind already somewhere else as he turned on his heels without waiting for a response, and left as briskly as he had entered, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. She sighed as she returned her attention on the gown waiting for her, and she glanced outside at the sun that was rising, its light blinding as it reflected on the snowy landscape.

With a quiet grumble, she made her way to her closet, already knowing what pair of shoes would look great with the rest of her attire.

 

****

 

It took her a total of three hours to finally stand still in front of the mirror, eyeing herself one last time before stepping out of her room to take upon the hostess role her father had entrusted her with. She didn’t have a choice but to ask for help with her hair, for it being so long that she needed extra hands, so she called one of the maids, ignoring the woman’s quiet inquiry about her mother.

Her hair took them two hours and a handful of minutes, bringing it up and twisting the long ivory locks into a complicated bun, held with braids that ran along the crown of her head, and a decorative, small and silver tiara sat amidst the white locks, discreet enough that you had to let your stare linger to notice it, but it would sometimes catch the eye with a flash of light.

But now, she was ready. Her makeup was applied; not much, enough to highlight her high cheekbones and the blue of her eyes, with the slightest trace of lipstick, pale, to match the silver and blue theme.

She smiled to herself. It looked real enough. Enough to fool anyone that barely knew her, which, truly, was the case all for the guests that were coming. But as she gave a once over again, she couldn’t help but think that she _did_ look good. With a quiet hum, she twisted a bit, to see how the laces on her back were stark on her pale skin.

She wondered how Ruby would react if she saw her like this. Maybe she would think that she looked good too.

She never took pictures of herself before. Vanity wasn’t sitting right with her, her father was the best example of what it could do to someone. But…

Reaching over on her dresser, she took the small handbag that sat there, big enough to hold her phone, a few band aids because it was _sure_ her shoes would hurt her feet before the end of the night, and a small bottle of perfume. You never know when you need one.

She took the time to apply some on her wrists, rubbing them on the sides of her neck, before fishing her phone from the handbag, clearing her throat quietly as she posed, angling her phone towards the mirror, and took a picture. She turned a bit on herself to show the dress’s back and took another, before sending them to Ruby, counting quickly the different time zones, before nodding as she came to the conclusion that it was late in Vale.

|I thought you might like to know how I looked like for the night.|

She typed in as soon as she sent the pictures, hesitating for only half a second before adding something else.

|And thank you for the voicemail, Ruby. I really appreciate it.|

She let out a sigh, not waiting for an answer as she dropped her phone back in the handbag, rectangle and silver, to match the necklace and earrings, and she made her way to the door, her high-heeled shoes clicking quietly with each step she took. As she passed her dresser, she caught sight in the corner of her eye of the signet ring that she had taken off while she finished her preparation. It was made of pure silver, with the Schnee crest carved on the flattened side.

With another deep sigh, she took a second to slip it back on her left middle finger, before going out the door, and squaring her shoulders as she slipped into character with practised ease, being the puppet her father so wanted her to be.

 

****

 

The afternoon was spent in an endless stream of new guests arriving, and she greeted each of them personally, smiling so much that her cheeks were hurting in the middle of it. At some point, she could hear a commotion behind her, in the ballroom, and soon after she heard her father talking and laughing with the guests that had passed her and went to the ballroom.

But her father never came to take her place, leaving her at the door to greet people as he was already inside, arriving with the family’s private jet and entering from the back. But she didn’t truly mind. If anything, time seemed to pass faster this way.

She greeted everyone with a gracious smile, their compliments falling into deaf ears by now, and she would laugh with them as she would escort them to the ballroom, servers already strolling through the guests with platers filled with champagne flutes and appetizers, their expression neutral as they would only bow their heads to everyone that stopped them. She saw one of the numerous guests sitting on the bench that was inserted in the far wall, and it made her realise how her feet were hurting. But she couldn’t stop now, as she locked her eyes with her father when she was turning away.

She stopped then, holding his stare for a few seconds. He was regarding her emotionlessly, his features as sharp as always as his stormy blue eyes eyed her from head to toe, and she barely noticed the slight twitch of his mustache before his attention was brought away by another guest that called his name. And that was it. No sign of greeting, not even a nod or a smile. She had been expected to be here, and as such, didn’t need recognition.

A light hand on her arm caught her attention.

“Here,” she heard Klein say to her, seemingly appearing from nowhere with a small plate with a handful of appetizer and a tall glass of water. “You didn’t eat anything today. You must be starving.”

As soon as her eyes fell on the food, her stomach growled embarrassingly loudly, and even though his mustache twitched slightly, Klein pretended he didn’t hear it as she took the plate and the glass, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit.

“Thank you, Klein,” she smiled to him, grateful.

He only bowed his head with a content smile, before setting a hand on her back to gently guide her towards a hallway, next to the ballroom.

“Eat. Take a break. You didn’t stop for a minute, and there aren’t many guests left. I’ll handle it from here, so you enjoy the party for a while.”

Before she could thank him again, he turned on his heels and walked away, towards the imposing front double doors as a car pulled to a stop there, and without further hesitation she let it be, quickly finding somewhere  out of sight to eat in peace. Only now did she realise how thirsty she was, too.

After taking a breather and finishing her meager meal, she took the time to return the plate and glass to one of the returning server, before stepping in the ballroom, earning the stares of a couple of people nearby. She sighed internally as she smiled, nodding to the few people that greeted her as she strolled through the guests, before her eyes caught on something oddly familiar, feeling like it was out of place.

Blue hair. Strangely slicked back, as the young man was wearing a light blue suit, with red and yellow underline, leaned against the table where a waiter was busy organising dishes and flutes of champagne.

Confused to see this familiar face in the sea of strangers, she made her way to him, the sound of her heels quickly approaching catching his attention while he was sipping from a flute, and he nearly chocked when his gaze fell on her.

“Weiss!” Neptune let out after quickly dabbing his lips to clean himself. “You… You’re a vision, I mean-”

“What are you doing here?” she pressed, glancing around the room to make sure nobody was listening in. “ _When_ did you get here? I didn’t see you earlier and I’ve been at the door all day.”

“We just got here,” Neptune shrugged one shoulder as he smiled, abandoning his glass to step closer, tilting his head in an irritatingly charming behavior. “How long have _you_ been here? I would have remembered seeing you earlier. You’re basically imprinted in my memory by now.”

She fought the reflex to gag, but let herself roll her eyes as she grunted quietly, until she was struck by a sudden realisation and she closed her eyes, feeling a headache settling in.

“Vasilias,” she muttered, but Neptune heard her as he nodded with a quiet hum, and she reopened her eyes with a sigh. “I’m sorry for my rudeness. I just never associated you with… with them.”

She gestured vaguely above her shoulder, meaning the mass of guests and their buzzing conversation behind her, and she noticed his raise of eyebrows as he glanced up at the room, and she reluctantly stepped beside him, flagging the server behind the table for some water.

“Let me keep you company for a while,” she said as she accepted the flute of clear water with a nod to the server, and she noticed how Neptune perked up beside her. “You’re the only person I know besides my father, and I would prefer to stay out of his sight.”

It made the blue-haired young man frown slightly as he glanced down at her, but he moved back to his previous position to retrieve his flute, looking at it thoughtfully.

“Why don’t you want to spend time with him?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious. “I always want to spend time with my dad. That’s why I came along today. And also because you would be there, too.”

Ignoring the last part, she took a sharp breath in as she glanced around the room again, easily spotting her father, who was turning his back to her amidst the people.

“Let’s just say we… don’t really get along,” she murmured, sipping at her glass.

Somehow, through the buzzing of conversations, he managed to hear her as he hummed quietly, and he sipped from his glass, too, seemingly understanding that it wasn’t a good subject of conversation. A silence fell on them as they stood next to each other.

She looked up at Neptune, discreetly. He was calmly regarding the guests as they walked by, smiling when he heard a group laughing, and there was confidence in his stance, as if he felt at ease here, amidst the people. She wondered shortly if he had to lie like she was doing.

“Were is your father?” she asked, genuine. “I don’t think I ever met him.”

He smiled, instantly, and she could tell he loved his father as he searched for him, his eyes quickly passing from one face to the other, and she was suddenly glad he was here. Yes, their date hadn’t really gone well, but he was still someone she had _wanted_ to go on a date with. Being friends was the best possible outcome for the two of them.

Neptune hummed as he perked up, smiling again as he pointed at something, and he moved closer to set a hand on her back. She stiffened as he did.

“Here he is,” he said, nodding in the same direction, and the hand on her back was light, the touch barely there as he merely wanted to guide her in the right direction.

The man in question seemed to notice them even with the crowd and the distance, and Neptune waved, straightening his back as he did, his hand leaving her back making her relax. Neptune’s father, upon seeing her with his son, made a surprised face, before appreciatively and excitedly rising a thumb up, one that Neptune returned, making her roll her eyes with a huff.

“Are you always like that?” she couldn’t help but ask, shaking her head slightly.

It only made him chuckle as he slowly stepped to the side, gesturing to his side invitingly, silently asking her if she wanted to walk with him, and with a slight bow of her head she accepted.

He offered his arm, which she politely declined and they took off, slowly, lazily circling the room and navigating between the groups of people that were discussing together.

“I um,” Neptune said suddenly as they were rounding around a group. “I wanted to apologise.”

It made her look up, surprised.

“Why?”

“For our date,” he smiled helplessly, shrugging a bit. “I was so nervous, and I just… blabbered and never shut up. Sun always tells me I do that. It’s just, I felt so pressured, and-”

“Pressured?” she repeated, furrowing her brows. “Why would you feel pressured by a date?”

It made him raise a single eyebrow as he glanced at her, shortly.

“I thought you of all people would understand. When my dad heard that there was the Schnee heir in one of my classes, he asked me to get closer to you. Maybe try a date and see if things work out. He said that if we could merge our families together, it would be for the best.”

“Ah,” she only let out, suddenly feeling her guts twisting.

Of course. There was always something expected from her. Always some schemes being played in the back. But before she could dwell on it longer, Neptune only sighed beside her, bringing her attention back.

“But it didn’t work, so,” he let out, shrugging again. “He’s not angry, though. A bit disappointed, but he understands.”

It made her hum as they continued their walk, Neptune stepping in front of her to pass between two groups of people as she followed. She wondered for a moment what she would do if her father ordered her to get close to someone only for what they could bring. It made her shiver to realise that, on the contrary of Neptune, her father would be a lot less understanding than him if she failed.

“Besides, you’re gay, so I didn’t have any chance right from the start. I’m not taking it too personal that I made you realise-”

“How do you know that?”

She had stopped dead in her tracks, thankfully a bit away from the groups of guests, and her suddenly cold, cutting voice made Neptune stop too, barely a step from her, and he looked back at her with raised eyebrows, surprised. She could feel panic rising, squeezing her gut like a cold, giant hand, and she had to focus to look calm as she locked her eyes with the young man.

“Erm… Sun told me,” he slowly let out, his features forming a confused look as he suddenly hesitated. “But it’s true, right? I heard about you and Ruby being together-”

“Shh!”

Frantically glancing around to make sure nobody heard, she promptly grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the ballroom, not stopping even if he stumbled behind her until they reached the same out of sight spot where she had eaten earlier. She let him go as abruptly as she had gripped his arm.

“What is _wrong_ with you?!” she hissed, her fury only fueled by fear. “There were tons of people within earshot, why would you say that?”

Slowly, as if fearing moving too fast might add to her anger, he raised his hands in front of him in a peaceful sign.

“I didn’t think anyone was listening,” he said carefully.

Taking a deep breath in, Weiss decided to pace in front of him, preferring to be moving instead of just standing there, and she could see Neptune slowly bringing his hands down as he followed her with his eyes, silent, waiting.

“How come Sun knew this?” she grounded out, flashing a poisonous glare in Neptune’s direction.

“I think he heard Blake and Yang talking about it.”

“Did he tell it to someone else?” she pressed.

“I don’t think so,” he shrugged. “He told me because we went on a date, but he had no reason to tell anyone else.”

“Good. Don’t tell anyone. And you better hope nobody heard you, back there, or else-”

She interrupted herself, too furious to find a proper threat as she resumed her pacing, resisting the urge of running a hand in her hair. Instead, she kept making the ring sitting at the base of her middle finger twist around it, over and over again, trying to find comfort in the feeling.

“My father can’t know,” she said instead, stopping in front of Neptune and looking up at him. “He’s not as understanding as yours.”

Only now did Neptune seem to understand the situation, and he slowly nodded, a sudden seriousness in his features appeasing the fear that had took hold in her.

“Don’t worry. Being a snitch isn’t my style.”

He offered a reassuring smile, one that she was very grateful to see as her fury faded to nothing, leaving behind her fear as she started pacing again, twirling her ring around her finger restlessly and wondering if she could go back into the crowd like this. She had to calm down. A meltdown in the middle of her father’s Event absolutely was the _last_ thing she wanted.

But before she could decide on what to do, her ears caught the sound of approaching steps and voices, and she stilled, her eyes widening in panic when she recognised her father’s voice. She looked up at Neptune, that must have understood just by the look on her face because he seemed to be as panicked as her, and after quickly glancing around, he pointed at the stairs leading up at the balcony that overlooked the ballroom, and she quickly nodded, already moving towards it.

When Neptune offered his arm again, she accepted it this time, needing every bit of stability right now.

They had started up the stairs when the clicking of shoes behind them sounded clear, the voices echoing in the hallway, and discreetly she looked over her shoulder, wondering to who her father was talking to and giving a visit himself. It was a woman, with jet-black hair that were gathered over one shoulder as she wore a red dress, with a golden design that ran along every edges of the dress and along the sleeves. She couldn’t hear what she was saying clearly, but her voice was smooth, her steps assured and confident beside her father that was listening intently.

They were followed by another woman, young, maybe her age if she wanted to bet, and their eyes locked as the stranger stopped for a second, pushing back a strand of mint-green hair behind her ear.

Blood-red eyes. It made her shiver a bit, earning Neptune’s attention.

As if hearing that the young woman behind them had stopped, the woman with her father barely glanced over her shoulder, interrupting what she was saying but never stopping her strides.

“Emerald.”

Her voice was still smooth, coated with honey it felt, but there was a strange hardness in it, the subtle traces of a threat hidden beneath the surface.

How she knew that tone well.

The younger woman’s eyes left hers as she quickly joined the other two, and the woman’s eyes lazily went her way, and their eyes locked too. She had eyes that made her remember Blake’s, golden and amber tones when the sun hit in them, but there was something in them, like a warning. Even though the woman’s color scheme, her eyes held no warmth.

The stranger smirked as Weiss stopped in the stairs, and… Maybe it was just a trick of light, but she was sure that, on this moment, her eyes were glowing a bit, suddenly that much brighter in the dimly lit hallway.

It sent a shiver down her spine, the hair at the back of her neck suddenly standing as all her senses were screaming warnings. If anything, her short-lived training to become a Huntress had awakened some sixth sense that was strangely always right.

She never wanted to cross path with that woman again.

As if answering her wish, the woman turned away, returning to her conversation as her father never spared a glance at her, and they soon disappeared behind a corner, Emerald in tow. To not see them anymore made her shoulders relax and release a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and after a second she felt Neptune tug slightly at her arm.

“You okay?”

Turning back to resume their walk upstairs, she furrowed her brows as she glanced at him, the remnant of her uneasiness coiling in the pit of her stomach.

“Who was that?” she asked quietly, trying to remember if she had greeted them.

“I don’t know,” Neptune shrugged slightly. “But they arrived at the same time as us.”

His face suddenly scrunched up as he seemed to think, raising a hand up to tap his chin a few times.

“I think I remember the butler saying ‘Sustai’ or something.”

“Sustrai,” she corrected, looking back over her shoulder to where the group had disappeared. “The jewelers.”

“Hm. Well, I don’t know what they’re doing, but they were sending some serious eyes in my direction.”

Wondering for a second if she heard right, she looked up at him, and when he was only smiling blissfully, she had to wonder if he had a semblance of survival instinct.

“What?” she let out nonetheless, a spark of annoyance rising.

“Didn’t you see them?” he insisted, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “I mean, I know I’m handsome in a suit, but I never thought I would catch _both_ their attentions.”

“Ugh,” she couldn’t help but roll her eyes as they finally reached the top of the stairs, and they lazily moved to one of the alcoves that gave a bit of privacy. “I can’t believe you say this when I’m right here with you.”

“Hey, shouldn’t you be on my side? I mean, we both like girls!”

“I am _so_ not discussing this with you.”

Even though she was annoyed and it was clear in her voice, it still managed to make him chuckle as they stopped near the railing, the voices from below merging together in a constant buzzing, with exclamations and laughter sometimes piercing through. They stayed silent for a moment, watching over the large room filled with guests until she saw Neptune perk up beside her, and as she followed his stare, she recognized his father cruising through the crowd, glancing around and clearly searching for someone.

“Dad’s searching for me,” he said with a smile, before turning to her. “You okay on your own? I can come back as soon as I can.”

“No, it’s okay,” she waved his suggestion aside, glad he still offered it. “I need a bit of alone time. You go enjoy yourself.”

“Okay,” he nodded, giving her a once over. “I’ll see you around, then!”

“Of course,” she slightly bowed her head. “And thank you. For understanding.”

“No problem!” he said as he was starting away, giving her a thumb up with a smile.

She kept watching over the guests as he left, soon seeing his blue head moving through the groups and closing in on his father, and she saw them talk when they met, Neptune shortly looking up at the balcony and searching for her before waving at her with a smile, his father doing the same. She huffed as she returned the wave with a small smile, and she couldn’t help the pang of envy to see Neptune and his father. It was clear the man loved his son, and that the affection was reciprocated. She sometimes wished she got along with her parents like this. To have something she missed from home.

She had Klein, at least. She had missed him dearly the first months she went to Vale, wishing she had someone to talk to the way she talked to Klein, but she had been alone.

All her life, she had been alone. Klein could do so much without blurring the line between familiarity and professionalism.

Alone, until she met Ruby. Ruby, who gave her everything. She wondered if she could ever return the favor, to bring something so special into Ruby’s life. Her single person felt infinitely small compared to everything Ruby made her feel.

As if on cue, she felt the cold stare of her father on her, and as she blinked, pulled from her reveries, she didn’t have to search to find him, as he stood in the middle of the room as he had returned from his tour, and again, their eyes locked, shortly.

Again, his eyes were pulled away by someone wanting his attention, and she relaxed, not realising how she had tensed up. Not wanting to repeat the experience, she stepped away from the railing, and went to another alcove, hoping he would lose sight of her for the rest of the night.

“Well, this is an unfamiliar sight,” a feminine voice sounded behind her, making her jump.

Turning sharply on her heels as she wondered how her heart hadn’t jumped out of her chest, she raised her eyebrows at the sight before her, surprised beyond words.

“Mother,” she breathed, unable to keep the relief too evident in her voice.

It only made the older woman huff as she stepped closer, her bare feet padding silently on the floor. That was why she hadn’t heard her coming.

“I never thought _you_ would be the one to avoid your father,” Willow casually said, looking over the railing as she pushed her loose braid over her shoulder to look at the guest-filled room, down below.

“I’m not-”

Her mother merely sent a very doubtful look at her and she interrupted herself, knowing that lying was only wasted energy, and she looked down at the guests, too, pressing her lips together.

“I thought you hated Events,” she remarked quietly, keeping her attention down on the room.

The older woman scoffed quietly, her eyebrows twitching up in a bitter manner.

“I loved Events, once upon a time. Before I married your father.”

With a sigh, Willow raised her left hand up, and only now did she realise her mother was carrying a bottle of champagne as she sat it on the railing, the older woman furrowing her brows a bit as she read the label on the bottle.

“Then, I preferred to avoid him,” her mother finished. “In any situation. Events included.”

She looked up at her mother shortly, seeing the suddenly sharp features on Willow’s face as her pale eyes were looking over the room again, noticing the way her lips pinched in held back anger at the simple though of her father. It made her wonder, as she looked back at the room.

“Have you ever loved Father?”

She had kept her voice quiet, half sure she really wanted to ask this, and she regretted it as soon as her mother scoffed harshly, leaning her elbows on the railing beside her.

“Why the sudden interest? It has never bothered you before,” Willow only replied.

“It’s-”

Her thoughts went to Ruby, to this place in a part of her mind where she had dared imagining a future with her, if they could ever last that long. But in her dreams, it was filled with Ruby’s laughter and her smiles, soft and warm touches and hugs. She couldn’t understand how two people that loved each other could go so wrong as to hate each other, in the end.

Taking her silence for hesitation, her mother pushed herself from the railing with a heavy sigh, turning her pale, weary eyes to her and earning her attention back.

“Little piece of advice,” Willow said. “Make sure he’s not in it just for your name before you fall in love with him.”

It made her heart ache. As she locked her eyes with her mother, she could see in her eyes the pain of being played, of being deceived after so long. Her mother suffered from what she feared the most.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, not knowing what else to say.

She wondered shortly if it was the reason why her mother never seemed to like her. If all Willow could see in her was that she was _his_ child. For the three of them, they were all his.

Willow only huffed quietly, pulling the cork out of the bottle of champagne with a loud ‘pop’ before taking a long swig of it, and she wondered for a moment how she would react if Ruby ever got close because of her name.

She couldn’t even imagine the pain. Just thinking about it made her eyes well up, and she had to look away to hide it to her mother as she cleared her throat, discreetly.

“For what it’s worth,” Willow’s voice brought her attention back as the older woman was returning the cork in the bottle. “You are beautiful, tonight. You should be out there with them, instead of hiding here. You’re too young to be bitter and nostalgic.”

“I prefer staying here,” she grimaced slightly, shifting her weight from leg to leg.

Her mother hummed, stepping closer silently as her pale brows were furrowed slightly, her eyes searching her face, and she resisted the urge of stepping back, knowing that her mother would never do something to hurt or frighten her.

And she was right, for Willow raised her right hand to ghost her fingers over her cheek, hovering over where her scar was, concealed under the makeup.

“Two years away has changed you,” her mother softly let out, and it was only now that she noticed how the smell of champagne was strong in her breath. Willow wasn’t as sober as she thought she was.

She chose to stay silent as the hand moved, this time the back of her fingers gently brushing her skin in a soft caress, one that had been so rare coming from her mother as she grew up and she couldn’t help but close her eyes, leaning a bit in the touch. But the touch was short lived as Willow drew back her hand, and she opened her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Her mother said nothing as she only stared at her, a wistful expression on her face, before she wordlessly turned away and left, disappearing in a hallway as silently as she came, and she was alone again, in the dark alcove, staring at the hallway as her ears buzzed with the conversations below.

She wondered for a moment if her mother was proud of her.

She let out a sigh, turning to lean her elbows on the railing like her mother did moments ago, suddenly feeling exhausted. All she wanted to do was to go back in her room, and listen to Ruby’s voicemail again, wrapped in the other girl’s jacket.

Thinking about the girl, she remembered she still hadn’t checked what Ruby’s reaction to the pictures was. And so, she opened her small handbag, fishing her phone in it, and quickly swiped her thumb over the screen to unlock it.

She was a bit disappointed when she noticed she only had two messages, one from both sisters, and she decided to start with Yang.

|I think you broke my sister. She keeps staring at her phone and says ‘Oh my God’ over and over again. By the way, you look reeaaal nice in that!|

It made her smirk a bit, somehow proud of herself, and as she shifted, leaning her chin in her hand, she went to check Ruby’s message.

Which was a very large block of hearts of various kinds.

It made her chuckle, knowing that Ruby must have fumbled with her phone for a long while, not knowing the right thing to say, but it still made her heart soar as, somehow, Ruby still managed to do just the right thing to cheer her up. Without even knowing it.

“Who is this Ruby person, and why are they sending you so many hearts?” a voice right in her ear inquired, sounding so familiar.

Saying that she jumped out of her skin might be a bit exaggerated, but she felt like she just did as she promptly turned around, pressing her phone against her protectively, her heart beating a mile a minute, and it was only now that she registered the voice, and the head slightly tilted to the side curiously. A large smile pulled her lips, her nervousness pushed aside instantly.

“Winter!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeyyyyy it's meeee!! I'm still alive!!!! I am SO SORRY for the agonisingly long wait. It's just... So many things happened at the same time, I was moving, then I had a financial problem, and THEN, when everything was starting to go okay, my laptop charger caught in fire... So I had to buy another.  
> But I stayed productive! I was still writing, by hand! So, yeah...
> 
> Anyway, I'm really sorry for the wait. And have this chapter! I hope you'll like it!

Instead of answering the question, she all but jumped in her sister’s arms, preferring to hug the taller woman tightly instead, and she was happy to feel Winter do the same after a second of hesitation.

Maybe this was unexpected, she thought after a moment. Hugs between them wasn’t something as common as the hugs between her and Ruby. Or, even Ruby and Yang. But… Ever since she started dating Ruby, hugs felt so good. A way without words to say how much you missed the other, how much you love them. Weiss thought it was right, then, as she could feel Winter tighten her embrace around her, and she closed her eyes, happy.

“Father said you were out on a mission,” she let out against Winter’s shoulder, not caring about how tightly she was hugging Winter. “I never expected to see you here!”

It made the older sister chuckle quietly against her ear.

“I missed you, little sister,” Winter murmured before gently pulling away, a discreet but soft smile on her lips. “Let me look at you. I feel like it’s been years since I last saw you.”

Not wanting to tell her that it was not inaccurate, Weiss still stepped back, feeling Winter’s hands settle on her shoulders, squeezing lightly, and when she looked up to lock their eyes together, Winter’s were shinning in a way that betrayed how genuinely happy she was to see her. she felt her throat tighten a bit, knowing without an ounce of doubt that she could always, always count on Winter.

The older sister’s blue eyes, slightly darker than Weiss’, traveled across her face before looking her from head to toe, and the smile that pulled her lips was shockingly genuine.

“You look stunning tonight, Weiss,” Winter complimented her, and she wondered briefly if her blush was apparent under her make up. You age with beauty and grace, but do keep in mind that _I_ remember you are not just that, little duckling.”

Weiss smiled at the nickname. Winter first called her that when, barely four or five years old, Weiss would follow Winter everywhere she went, and at times she would even try and wear her older sister’s shoes in the hopes she would instantly grow as tall and strong as Winter. It was when Weiss tried to follow her around with far too big shoes that came the striking resemblance, and ‘duckling’ stuck around.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, slightly embarrassed at the compliment. “You look dashing yourself, Winter.”

The older sister took the kind words with a lot more grace than she did, bowing her head slightly to her. And dashing was the word. Winter was dressed to impress, with her formal military attire. With the decorations visible on the front, left side of her jacket, the fabric was a dark blue, darker than her gown, with the stark white collar that poked out from under the dark flaps. Stark white gloves with dark underlines were covering her hands, and as per her older sister’s preference, white trousers covered her legs, freshly pressed as she could see, and her boots shone in the dim lighting of the hallway, freshly waxed. In other words, she made heads turn in her wake as much as Weiss did, military in her spine and royalty in her chin.

“To answer your earlier question,” Winter started as she clasped her hands behind her back, earning Weiss’ attention back. “I _was_ away on a mission. I just came back. But when I saw Klein’s message, I got dressed and came as soon as I could.”

“Klein’s message?” she repeated as she returned her forgotten phone in the handbag, before nodding absentmindedly as her sister extended her hand towards the party down below with an arched eyebrow, asking silently for a walk amongst the guests, and she followed Winter, walking side-by-side. “What did he say?”

“That you were here,” the oldest simply answered, her voice genuine. “And since Father always says that he has enough security, I didn’t have to bring any of my men. So I can be honest about how much I missed you.”

Again, she was a bit taken by surprise by the genuine sound of her voice, the soft glint in her eyes reassuring after such a hard few days, and she counted her blessings for her sister. With a smile, she linked her arm with Winter’s when she offered it, descending the stairs together.

She always knew Winter had to hold back, had to conserve some kind of cold behavior in front of her men. She had to be respected by them, and apparently it was her way to do it. She understood, of course; pretending was second nature to Weiss by now. It just took her by surprise whenever she looked up to see Winter smiling down at her, pride in her eyes and happiness in her smile, even though she must have been exhausted.

They walked amongst the guests for a while, Winter saying what she could about her last mission or talking about anything and everything, just happy to see each other again. Saying that they were turning heads was putting it lightly. There was a shiver in the crowd as a constant murmur followed them, the constant flow of people splitting in front of them almost reverently as they walked. And if Neptune chocked on his drink when he saw Weiss earlier, he nearly fainted when, seeing his blue head poking from the crowd in the corner of her eyes, Weiss introduced him to her sister. As a… Friend.

Weiss could feel their father’s gaze on them from time to time, an ice cold dot on her back, but she decided she didn’t care. Winter was here, and her day was so much better now. She wasn’t about to let him ruin this for her.

Their aimless trek lasted until the first guests started leaving, late in the evening already. The sun outside was low in the sky, but not yet ready to sink in the horizon. It meant it was close to midnight.

“How about we ditch the party?” Winter proposed, following her line of sight outside. “We made our part of ‘appearing’. So we could go somewhere and catch up. You have yet to tell me about you.”

A spike of panic needled her heart. ‘About you’ meant how she had been, if she had friends (minus Neptune), and the question Winter had asked earlier came back in her mind, almost haunting, now.

_Who is this Ruby person, and why are they sending you so many hearts?_

Would Winter be alright with this? With her? She knew her father wouldn’t, but Winter… She felt her heart sink in her chest at the thought. But she had to tell her. Had to tell her sister how much Ruby was making her happy in all those simple, little ways. How she smiled every time she saw Ruby’s name appear on the screen of her phone. How every smile from Ruby made her stomach flutter and her chest warm.

She had to tell her.

“Alright,” she nodded, resolve steeling her shoulders as she watched her sister snatched a brand new bottle of champagne and two long, tall flute on the refreshment table they were passing by. “You know I can’t drink, Winter.”

“Hm. Well, in Vale, indeed, you can’t. Don’t you remember that here, in Atlas, the drinking age is eighteen? And, if I remember correctly, you’re nineteen, now. Soon twenty. Gods, already,” the older sister finished in a mumble, her pale eyebrows slightly furrowing at the realisation.

Chuckling quietly, she still gracefully stepped towards the hallway, hearing Winter sighing silently beside her. Before it was too late, the oldest pushed the bottle in Weiss’ hands to reach over and take a plate of appetizers, too, in front of the innocent looking staffer who was trying to hide a smile.

Everyone who worked for their father long enough knew how the sisters were close, and they also knew they were inseparable.

With their ‘stolen’ goods, they went to find a place where they would be left alone, and decided to climb to the second floor, going deeper through the maze of hallways they somehow knew by heart as they lazily walked, the click of the older sister’s heels almost muted by the sound of her own. Still, with each steps taken, she had to refrain from grimacing, trying to put the pain flaring from her feet aside again, short relief washing over her when Winter ducked her head inside one of the small parlor, glancing around to make sure there was nobody inside before stepping in, holding the door for her.

It wasn’t ‘small’ in size though, Weiss thought as she quickly glanced around, setting the bottle on the low table between two fluffy couches. The entire room was, say, as big as Ruby and Yang’s entire apartment. But it was ‘small’ when you compared the other parlors, on the first floor.

There was a panoramic window that overlooked the snowy field of the backyard, the sun reflecting on the snow as if it was a mirror and draping everything in this soft, golden glow. Hearing a soft clinking, her attention was brought back to Winter, who had left what she was carrying on the table, too, and was getting rid of her dark vest with a sigh, abandoning it on the back of the couch before she made her way to the hearth.

Trying to be a bit more graceful than simply slouching in the couch, Weiss let out a slight groan when she finally sat, sinking in the plushy cushions with the impression she hadn’t sat down for weeks, both feet throbbing in synch with her heartbeat. She took a moment as she leaned back in the couch, feeling the cushions dip when Winter sat beside her, hearing the gentle cracks of the fire filling the silence.

Winter watched her as she slowly, carefully pulled out of her shoes, grunting as she tried to massage them shortly, before applying Band-Aid wherever the skin was raw or had split. She should wash it, really, but she could always do it later.

“How long did you wear these?” the older sister asked, pushing with the tip of her boot one of the shoes, the sun coming in reflecting and sending a flash of silver in Weiss’s eyes.

“All day,” she only grunted quietly as she sat back, wiggling her toes for a second.

Narrowing her eyes into thin slits, Winter’s features scrunched up a bit, glaring at the shoe.

“How tall? Four?”

“Five inches,” she grimaced as she corrected. “You know Father doesn’t let me wear anything smaller.”

The older sister bitterly snorted as she shook her head silently, a flash of anger sharpening her features.

“If he could tweak with your genes to make you taller, I’m sure he would,” Winter muttered. “He always hated the fact that you are small.”

The comment only made her gut churn a bit, but she only let out a quiet hum, not wanting to go over this conversation again. Winter had left for the military to escape their father’s control, and she successfully did. Only to see the man’s stare turn to Weiss, so young, just a child then. In their father’s eyes, Winter was supposed to be the heir; everything surrounding it fitted the oldest like a glove. But ever since she left, Weiss had to fill it. Too emotional, too stubborn, too small, too frail… It felt too much, at the time. There were just some things she couldn’t fill in her sister’s place. She had dedicated herself to fill every spot her father wanted her to, to be the perfect heir Winter was supposed to be, until she realised she wanted to be a Huntress, too. She maybe had started her training too late, or wasn’t as good as Winter assured her she was.

She remembered after a practice, a few weeks before she took Father’s challenge, Winter had told her that ‘She wouldn’t always be there to protect her’. It was her sister’s way to show she cared about her wellbeing, her way to tell Weiss that defying Father wasn’t a wise choice. Weiss could remember vividly Winter’s face the first time she saw her with her scar, too fresh and not fully healed so she couldn’t cover it with makeup yet. It was the only time Winter saw it, too.

The older sister seemingly sensing Weiss’s suddenly morose mood, Winter leaned over to retrieve the bottle of champagne, and after a few moments of struggle and a quiet ‘pop’, filled each of their flutes before offering one to Weiss, who accepted it reluctantly.

“I know you don’t really like the idea of drinking,” Winter started when she saw her sister’s hesitation. “But champagne is for celebration, and I’d like to celebrate the fact that we can finally spend time together.”

She raised her flute, arching a single eyebrow in askance, and waited until Weiss did the same, quietly clinking their glasses together, before they sipped their drinks. As soon as the bubbly, fizzy liquid hit her tongue, Weiss made a surprise noise, the taste surprisingly better than she thought.

“Do you like it?”

She looked up to see Winter watching her, quietly sipping her drink, and the question made her look down at the flute she was holding, furrowing her brows slightly.

“I think I do,” she finally said, hearing the bubbles of her drink in the quiet of the room. “It’s sweeter than I thought.”

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Winter folded one of her arms on the back of the couch to lean her head against it, still staring at her. She didn’t know if Winter was aware that it was making her nervous. As if she noticed, the older sister frowned.

“How have you been, Weiss? The last time we saw each other was very short and you barely talked about yourself. How do you like Vale? Have you made any friends, other than this boy Neptune and this mysterious Ruby?”

She almost spitted in her drink, and maybe there was enough light in the room, or her makeup didn’t hide her blush, because Winter’s smile inched larger.

“Have you met someone?” She asked, playfully nosy.

Even if Winter was watching her like a hawk, she couldn’t believe it when her face betrayed her further as more heat burned her cheeks, and she tried to hide it in her glass, the cool liquid refreshing and soothed the burning sensation of her face.

Still, the reaction made Winter gasp.

“You did!”

Winter sounded so delighted by her discovery, and she quickly racked her brain to try and find something to say before she would melt of embarrassment on the carpet.

“Vale is quite charming,” she decided to start with, earning Winter’s attention back. “Beacon is as prestigious as I hoped for. My grades are good: I’m top of my class in… most of my courses,” she ended with a sigh, thinking back of how much of a pain French had been.

A smack on her head brought her back from her reverie, and with a startled yelp, she looked up at Winter as she rubbed her abused head, Winter only scowling at her.

“I said ‘how have you been’, not ‘how _your grades_ have been’.”

Weiss barely shrugged a shoulder, lowering her eyes to her bubbly drink.

“I’m fine.”

She heard Winter’s sigh as if it was echoing in the room.

“Are you sleeping properly?” Her sister asked quietly. “Are the nightmares gone? Do you eat properly? You still look rather thin. Did you find any clues for-”

“I did make friends,” she interrupted Winter purposefully, earning a slight glare from the oldest. “Well… I did in the last year, at least.”

Perking up instantly, Winter reached over at the table to take one of the appetizer still on the plater, nodding.

“Neptune?” She asked.

“Um…,” she blinked, wondering for a moment. “Yes.”

Winter gave her a sideway look.

“You introduced him as such earlier,” the oldest recalled.

“I know. It’s just that we went on a date once…”

Eyes widening, eyebrows raised high, Winter froze in her movement as she was about to take a bite in the food she was holding, and she had to bite her cheek not to smile.

“Didn’t work,” she finished, amused at the way her sister’s shoulders sagged a bit.

“What didn’t work? He’s the Vasilias heir, is he not?” Winter frowned a bit as she was thinking, missing the way Weiss had tensed up. “And he’s handsome. Would be a good match for you.”

Not for the first time that day, anxiety spiked and made her heart beat slightly faster than it had been, and the comfortable hold she had on the flute in her hand transformed into a death grip, imagining the thin foot breaking between her fingers.

“Unfortunately, we’re… incompatible,” Weiss resolutely said, and before Winter could speak, she pressed on. “I have other friends, though. There’s Yang, Blake and… And there’s Ruby.”

“Ah! This mysterious Ruby!”

Downing the rest of her drink to avoid eye contact with her sister, she barely had the time to nod before Winter filled the flute again, and she kept her attention on the tiny bubbles rushing to the surface as she continued.

“Well, Yang is Ruby’s sister, and Blake is Yang’s girlfriend, so when I befriended Ruby, the other two kind of… fell on my lap. Friends by alliance, if you may.”

“Really?”

“Except for Blake. She hated my guts the second she laid eyes on me. She’s…”

Hesitantly, she looked up, meeting Winter’s attentive eyes as she was listening greedily, taking in as much information as Weiss would give her.

“She’s… Blake is a faunus,” she said slowly, bracing for the reaction.

Only to be left hanging. There was no flash of anger, no huff of annoyance she almost expected, but only a simple nod from Winter, who slightly furrowed her brows.

“So she knew who you are,” the oldest accurately guessed.

Nodding as she relaxed, it made her wonder if Winter would be as accepting when she knew for Ruby.

“Yes.”

“What happened? You managed  to change her mind?”

“No,” she shook her head, unable to keep from smiling a small smile. “Ruby happened. They talked, and _Ruby_ managed to change her mind and give me a chance. I guess we’re friends, now,” she huffed, amused. “She kept ending up at my place when Ruby and Yang were out of town.”

It made Winter chuckle along with Weiss, and a silence fell on them, the crackling of the fire in the hearth once again filling the quietness of the room. The next step would be to talk about Ruby, of course. She just didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t give away how much she cared for her.

Maybe the best course of action was honesty. Winter was the only person of the family who ever deserved her trust enough for her to be entirely honest. Now was not the time to change her ways.

Weiss glanced at her sister discreetly, who was staring at the flames without much interest, seemingly patiently waiting for her to say something.

Even after all this time, Winter could still read her so well. And so, she took a sharp inhale, steeling her resolve.

“Winter?”

Instantly, blue eyes turned to her, attentive, and she took the time to swallow.

“Would you be alright if… If I’m dating someone?”

Her sister’s arching eyebrow made her almost smile.

“Of course I would,” Winter answered with an almost roll of her eyes.

“Even if it’s someone who Father deems unworthy of me?”

There was an eye roll this time.

“Father deems everyone unworthy of you.”

“Except if they are the heir of something beneficial for the company, then they are a ‘perfect match’,” she commented dryly.

A heavy silence stretched between them, and for a moment she feared she had offended Winter in some way, until the oldest leaned over to set her empty flute on the table, before scooting over, and there was fondness in her eyes when Weiss locked eyes again.

“Weiss, you know I will be alright with whoever you’re dating,” Winter finally said, lightly flicking her forehead. “Now spill. I want to know who melted my little duckling’s heart.”

She smiled, reassured a bit as she still felt the echo of anxiety needling her, and she had to gather every ounce of courage she had before finally, finally making the leap.

“I’m dating Ruby.”

“I figured as much,” Winter commented with an amused huff.

“Ruby is a girl.”

She swallowed at the silence that followed as Winter registered this new information, until the oldest sister sighed as she leaned her elbows on her knees, staring at her empty flute on the table, before reaching for the bottle.

Weiss watched her sister down a full glass of champagne before Winter was filling it again, and she felt her heart sink in her chest at the thought her sister would be upset.

“Are you disappointed?” She asked quietly, trying to blink away the tears that watered her eyes.

The week had been so hard for her emotionally, and the simple thought of Winer looking down on her made her want to run back to her room and lock herself there. The fragile assurance that she had before was thrown out the window, now.

Maybe her voice sounded more pitiful than she had intended, or Winter noticed only now how her silence made Weiss shake, but the oldest instantly shook her head vehemently, even reaching over to take her hand to give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“No, of course not! I just never thought… This is a surprise for me.”

“Believe me, it was for me too,” she managed to let out, even though her throat felt tight and she had trouble breathing.

Her comment brought on more silence as Winter looked at her for a moment, the surprised look slowly giving place to one of sadness.

“You know Father will never accept this,” the oldest quietly let out, squeezing her hand again. “He’s going to take this part of you, too.”

Following her sister’s earlier antic, Weiss downed the rest of her drink, wordlessly reaching over for Winter to fill her glass again.

“I know,” she murmured, her throat squeezing again.

Of course she knew. Her father would take the news as another act of rebellion. But what could he do about it? Seal it away, too?

“I never meant for Ruby to become so important to me like this,” she started, her shoulders sagging. “But it happened anyway.”

She felt ridiculous for ever thinking this idyll would ever last. Stupid for thinking her father would let her have this. Even Winter knew their father would want to snuff out this part of Weiss.

Weiss could feel the last of her good mood shift, traded with something dark and cold as she, again, downed her glass. This feeling was so different from what she usually felt when she thought of Ruby. Her girlfriend was sunshine and flowers and rainbows, always warm and full of life, always overwhelming her until she felt giddy of it.

Now this, this felt like death. This was, without a doubt, the same feeling related to her father’s touch.

A soft touch to her shoulder brought her attention back to present, and she didn’t have the time to register it that Winter was hugging her gently, her cheek pressed against her sister’s shoulder.

She was tired. She barely ate anything that day, and she was drinking. It was definitely getting to her, now. Her shoulders shook without her really knowing it, and suddenly she didn’t feel tired. She felt exhausted. Drained of energy. Fighting against the tears that spilled from her eyes anyway felt like it was a herculean task.

She felt incredibly selfish for failing at keeping Ruby at arm’s length, when she _knew_ they would never last. Ruby’s future heartbreak was on her, and her only. Because she had been too weak.

Gods, her father was right. She was just so _weak_.

Winter held her for as long as there were tears to spill, and not a word went past her lips. She probably knew false assurance was the last thing Weiss wanted.

Eventually, Weiss pulled away, sniffling unceremoniously, and Winter only poured champagne in her empty glass again, leaving the bottle closer on the table.

“Tell me about Ruby,” Winter softly requested. “I want to know more about the girl who stole my sister’s heart.”

It made Weiss smile and laugh softly, starting to feel the exhaustion and alcohol numb her body and loosen the filter she had on her words.

But she couldn’t care less. Talking about Ruby was easy. She had so many things to say about the girl who brought so much joy into her life.

 

****

 

When she woke up, she was surprised that she did. She didn’t remember falling asleep. And when she cracked her eyes open, she wondered how she was even alive when her head felt like it was about to split open, her brain spilling on the pillows.

Wait, pillows? With a grunt, she sat up, trying to ignore how the room was spinning. Why was it spinning so much? It took her a moment to realise she was back in her room, and when she looked down on herself, realised that she was wearing her nightgown.

… What?

She didn’t remember getting back to her room. She didn’t even remember changing into her nightgown! And now her head was trying to kill her?

A soft sigh, strangely out of place in her growing panic, sounded beside her, and holding her head with both hands to make sure it would stay whole, she looked over.

Winter was there, sleeping soundly and oblivious to Weiss’ confusion. She still wore her white shirt although it was all wrinkled by now, and her bun was barely holding on, loose and threatening of unleashing the cascade of ivory hair.

Before she could wonder longer about what the _hell_ happened and why she didn’t remember anything, a soft buzzing sound was heard.

Turning her attention on this instead, feeling the vibration of her phone on the mattress, she patted it up and down, wondering why it was even in her bed and not on the nightstand, until her numb fingers finally bumped into it.

Closing one eye in the hopes of soothing her headache, she narrowed the other as she unlocked the screen, not really surprised to see that it was Ruby, asking if she was awake.

Too lazy to count the time zones, she only replied with a short ‘yes’, before falling back on the mattress, groaning when it made the room spin again. Beside her, Winter stirred from her sleep as her phone buzzed again, on her stomach. With a sigh, she tapped on the message to read it.

|Cool! Good morning, Weiss! I just wanted to warn you, though… I’m really sorry, but Yang kinda stole my phone earlier and showed all your messages to Blake, so… Be ready for the teasing when you come back!|

“What messages?” Weiss mumbled, frowning.

Scrolling up through the conversation, she realised with horror that there were messages she _apparently_ sent during the night, a whole bunch of large blocks of text, all of them describing awkwardly how much she cared for Ruby and all those things Ruby did that made her heart beat faster. Her eyes kept widening as she continued to scroll up, seeing the ridiculously large amount of messages she had sent, an embarrassingly tall wall of text, some of them barely readable.

There was nothing too incriminating, though. It was just vastly embarrassing, because she had tried, rather successfully she had to say, to put into words just how much Ruby made her happy.

Still, she didn’t remember any of it. Now starting to get angry, she shook Winter’s shoulder to wake her up, her sister jolting awake instantly.

“What is the meaning of this?” Weiss imperiously asked, ignoring the throbbing of her skull. “I don’t remember writing this!” She showed her the large amount of messages quickly, before grimacing slightly, reaching a hand up to hold her head. “I don’t remember getting in bed, even less changing.”

“Yes,” Winter interrupted what she was about to say as she yawned widely. “You were drunk. You drunk-texted your girlfriend, and let me say it was the purest thing I had ever seen.”

“Drunk-texted?” Weiss nearly chocked out, lowering her eyes on her phone. “I don’t remember…”

“Doesn’t surprise me. You finished the bottle alone, and after pouring your heart into your phone, you passed out. I put you to bed. I stayed with you to make sure you were alright.”

Rubbing a hand across her face, Weiss felt her cheeks burning of embarrassment, and she heard the soft chuckle Winter let out as she sat.

“How are you feeling?” The oldest asked as she stretched.

“Like my head is about to explode,” she answered dryly. “And that I might die of embarrassment.”

“You must have a terrible headache, indeed. Champagne hangovers are the worst.”

“Hangover?”

She almost felt herself blanched. Even _she_ had heard of those.

“And don’t be embarrassed about your texts,” her sister smiled over her shoulder at her. “I hadn’t seen you smile that much in years.”

A knock on the door kept her from answering to her sister, and she only narrowed her eyes at her with a scowl before asking whoever was outside that they could come in.

Without surprise, Klein opened the door, a slight frown darkening his features.

“Miss Weiss,” he greeted her with a slight bow of his head. “Miss Schnee,” he greeted Winter in the same way, before returning his attention to Weiss. “Your father demands an audience with you. After lunch.”

She was about to send him away when she noticed he was glancing in the hallway as if he was making sure nobody was there, and Klein leaned over, lowering his over.

“Master Schnee is…” he paused, seemingly searching for the right word. “Not in a good mood.”

A shiver ran down her spine. Jacques Schnee in a good mood was threatening, now him in a bad mood…

It was just a disaster waiting to happen.

She saw Winter freeze in the corner of her eyes, and they glanced at each other, worry settling in the pit of her stomach.

“Please, don’t make him wait,” Klein finished before bowing his head again and closing the door behind him.

There was a silence, tense and heavy, until Winter stood, retrieving her vest that was draped on a nearby chair.

“I will let you take a shower,” the oldest said with an encouraging smile. “Try to eat something for lunch. Maybe I could borrow a car to drive you to the airport myself. Your flight is in the evening, right?”

“Six o’clock,” she confirmed, apprehension making her bones rattle.

Winter nodded then, an unreadable expression making her worry before offering a small smile. It did nothing to calm or reassure her.

“Then come to me when you are ready to leave.”

After a formal, slight bow of her head that betrayed more than anything how worried she was, Winter left, and she was left alone with her hangover and her fear of meeting her father for the first time in two years.

At least, Winter had made it clear. She would stay here for her.

She knew she had to hurry, even more when she glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand to realise it was past eleven already. But she still took the time to write to Ruby, ignoring the way her thumbs were trembling.

|I’m so sorry, Ruby. I hope you don’t mind, I don’t remember writing these messages.|

The answer was so quick to come, she had only taken two steps towards the bathroom before her phone buzzed in her hand.

|If I mind? Of course I don’t! These were so sweet and honest, I will cherish them all my life!|

There was a pang of guilt pulling her heart as she thought bitterly that it was maybe what would truly happen, that everything she could give Ruby were words and nothing else.

Before she could dwell on it longer, another buzz of her phone in her hand brought her attention back.

|When do you land? Do you want us to be there?|

Shaking her head even though Ruby couldn’t see it, she was quick to reply.

|No, it won’t be necessary. I will land at around four or five in the morning, I am not about to ask you to be there.|

|Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow?|

It made her smile. She could imagine Ruby’s eyes shining in excitement, staring at her phone as she almost vibrated in place with hardly contained energy.

Just as it made her happy to be around Ruby, it made Ruby happy to be around Weiss. The thought was reassuring, enough so that her hands stopped shaking, and the anxious flutter in her stomach stopped.

In less than twenty-four hours, she would be in Ruby’s arms again.

The last of the dark mood lurking around since the night before disappeared, replaced instead by fondness as she typed a few words.

|Yes. I will see you tomorrow.|

Definitely more relaxed than a few minutes before, she went to the bathroom and prepared her shower, and she glanced at the screen of her phone when it buzzed again on the counter.

|Can’t wait!| It read.

A soft smile pulled her lips. This place definitely played with her mind. Truly, she belong in Vale. With her friends. With Ruby.

 

****

 

“You disobeyed me. Again.”

There wasn’t an ounce of warmth in her father’s tone, only this cold, impersonal monotone that he reserved for his most difficult employee, and it made her eye twitch.

“Well, hello to you too, Father.”

He looked up from the report he was reading, his stormy eyes expressing nothing but warnings to her.

“I advise that you change your tone. Consider this your one and only warning.”

Wisely choosing to stay silent, Weiss clasped her hands behind her back, showing her father she wasn’t scared of him. When she raised her chin, imperceptibly so as to hold his stare, it made him narrow his eyes slightly.

She knew it wasn’t wise to challenge him. But she _had_ to fight her fear.

“You keep seeing this girl even if you were expressly, repeatedly ordered not to,” Jacques finally, flatly let out, leveling his stare with hers.

“She is my friend, Father.”

“You know I _hate_ repeating myself.”

“And I am telling you that she’s my friend!” She sighed, exasperated.

Getting him angry might not be the best course of action, but she was just so _tired_ of this. Of him, deciding everything for her.

“I can’t have those, now? Is that it? They have to have your seal of approval?”

The feeble bravery her annoyance gave her vanished as soon as a scowl appeared on her father’s features, and slowly, purposefully, he rose to his feet, leaning his hands on the dark wood of his desk.

“I didn’t know ‘friends’ kissed, now,” he slowly let out, honey coating every word as he smiled.

There wasn’t any familiarity in the amiable smile he was trying to pull. It was venomous and dangerous, and she felt a cold shiver ran down her spine, her earlier panic coming back tenfold.

Seemingly pleased to see her finally quiet, Jacques straightened his back, his stormy eyes darkening, the promise of a storm looming in the horizon.

“I have been more than patient with your childish actions,” her father was saying, his voice low and dangerous as he stepped around his desk. “If I didn’t already have plans for you, I would disown you where you stand.”

“I don’t care about your money,” she heard herself ground out, clenching her fists tightly. Fury and fear ran like wildfire in her mind, making her act impulsively. “Unlike _some_ people.”

The slap surprised her as much as it hurt her, coming so fast that she didn’t have time to brace for it, and she knew her cheek or tongue was cut, because she tasted blood in her mouth.

Sighing, Jacques returned his hand behind his back calmly, not fazed at all by what he just did.

“This is the last time I tell you,” he coldly warned her. “Stop this nonsense, and stop seeing this girl. Those ‘friends’ that you have are not worthy of your rank.”

She kept her eyes on the floor, her teeth gritting together as her cheek burned, boring holes in the floor while her father simply turned his back to her, slowly making his way back to the massive desk, and he took the time to brush back a lock of his otherwise impeccably coiffed hair back, dislodged by the force of the blow he delivered.

“Peasants should stay with peasants, and you should not mingle with rats. If you keep meeting them, if I hear you still see this girl, I _will_ intervene. There _will_ be consequences, this time.”

It made her huff as she blinked away the tears that clouded her vision, taking the pain she felt as an anchor, focusing on it.

“Oh?” She bitterly scoffed. “And what will you do? Lock me away? Send me on the other side of the world?”

Jacques only sent her a look, halfway between disgusted and tired before he sat down behind his desk, taking back the report he had left as if the subject was closed.

“Or no, wait,” she spitted, not bothering to acknowledge the threat as her father glared at her shortly. “Your style is more paying people. Well, Ruby would never take your money. Never.”

Not at all impressed by the show of faith, Jacques barely arched an eyebrow, eyeing her from head to toe, taking her in.

“You naïve, ignorant child,” he almost growled, a dark and dangerous look clouding his stormy gray eyes. “Everyone has a price, or something to protect.”

Not waiting for her to add something, he waved his hand at her, sending her away as if she was nothing more than one of the staffers.

“Now leave. And make sure you obey, this time.”

Turning abruptly on her heels and making a beeline to the door, she stopped, her hand a single inch from the doorknob, when she heard her father clear his throat behind her.

“What are you doing?” he asked coldly.

“I’m leaving, like you asked me to,” she replied, poison tainting her tone, her spine a ramrod line.

“Oh? Is that how I raised you?”

Taking in a deep breath, trying to keep her fury under control, she spun on her heels slowly to face her father, trying to ignore the pleased smile on Jacques’ lips as she did.

“I will take my leave now, Father,” she hissed through gritted teeth, managing a somewhat convincing smile as she slightly bowed her head in sigh of respect.

A malevolent glint dance in his eyes as he stared at her, his pleased smile inching larger when Weiss stayed rooted in place, holding his stare for a moment more, until he dismissed her with a simple wave of his hand.

She almost ripped the door from its hinges when she opened it, but carefully closed it behind her, knowing that her father would go on another round of humiliation for her if she slammed it.

She hadn’t even made three steps away from his office that tears were already rolling down her cheeks, her vision blurred beyond recognition as hurt, fear and sadness swirled in a poisonous mix inside her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyyy!! Just gonna drop this real quick, I already had writen more than half of it when I got my new charger, so yeah! Have this quick update, in compensation of the awfully long wait!

The flight had been awfully long, and again, she hadn’t been able to get some rest. Her eyes were puffy and irritated from the lack of sleep, from crying after the meeting with her father, then again in the car with Winter, and even though she was exhausted, she couldn’t sleep.

No, she couldn’t sleep, because she was trying to find the right words to say to Ruby. Because this time, her father was serious.

So she had to stay away. For Ruby’s sake.

She had to stay away. Her father’s words were law, and she _did_ rebel in the way she hadn’t listened and still met Ruby. Still saw her friends. But there was a difference between being ordered around through a phone and receiving a direct order face-to-face.

She let out a sigh, turning her eyes to the small window at her side. The sun was just rising when the plane started its descent, painting the clouds in pink, and orange and yellow… There was a strange, powerful tug that pulled her heart at the sight of the colorful morning. And it pulled again when Vale appeared, right between patches of clouds.

Ruby was there, somewhere. And she would have to live in the same city, go to the same school, without ever seeing her again. Without ever seeing this girl, who made her realise what it meant to be alive. The girl who showed her how to love.

A bitter huff passed her lips as she tiredly rubbed her knuckles on her forehead, trying to ease the headache wreaking her brain.

Could she even do it? Could she even stay away? Ruby had grown to be her everything, and more than once had she dropped everything she was doing for Ruby. Ruby needed a favor? Done. Ruby wanted a _huge_ stack of cookies because there was a rainstorm coming? Weiss would go buy it herself. Ruby wanted Weiss to be out of her father’s reach? Well…

That was the thing, wasn’t it? Were her feelings for Ruby stronger than the fear she held of her father?

A sudden patch of clouds blocked the view below, and she was left staring at her reflection, meeting her tired eyes and pulled features. She could see the same tern look in her eyes, the paleness of her cheeks, the eye bags under her eyes… It was as if she was looking at the same person she had been before ever meeting Ruby.

What would she do now? She hadn’t realised before meeting Ruby how she had been living her life on autopilot. It was still a wonder that she somehow knew what to write down, and the words said in class were registered and ordered per class, so she still had near perfect grades. Everything changed when she met the other girl. _Everything_. But now…

Now, she would have to go back to that. To this… lifeless shell.

It was as they say: you can’t miss what you don’t know. But now that she knew how it felt to be _alive_ , to feel the warmth of acceptance when Yang pulled an additional plate for her in a silent demand to stay for diner, to catch Blake rolling her eyes with a fond smile at the sisters’ banter before their eyes met, sharing this playful moment, or to feel the flutter of dizzying butterflies in her stomach every time Ruby smiled?

How could she _ever_ want to live without this?

The jolt the plane made when it landed brought her back to reality, and it was with a weary sigh that she waited to leave, listening with one ear at the automated message sounding overhead.

All this thinking, and still, she hadn’t find the right words.

The best course of action was honesty, she decided as she walked out and into the airport to wait for her luggage. Ruby deserved honesty.

Ruby would definitely be against this. She would say that she _had_ to live her life how she wanted, not how her father wanted. That she was in charge of her own legacy, that she had only one chance at this.

But Ruby wouldn’t understand that she was here _because_ of her father. She was here because her father could see she was still useful in some way. Being the vessel he wanted her to be. All she had to do was to play her part. All her life.

She let out a quiet groan, rubbing her eyes. Ruby would insist. She would say that it’s no way to live her life.

She had contemplated the possibility of giving away her inheritance, but what would she do, then? She would have to find something to do… And starting up as a Huntress was… impossible, at the moment.

She had savings, that wasn’t the problem, it was… What would she do with herself? Running a company was all she knew about, so finishing International Business made sense. But it would prove Jacques’ point: she couldn’t do anything on her own. _He_ placed her on this path, and she would see it to its end, because he told her to.

She barely flinched when someone bumped into her to reach for their luggage, arriving on the conveying belt with hiccupping jolts, but she was grateful for the disturbance when she realised her own luggage had already passed in front of her. As she went to retrieve it, she was sure that if she had been left unbothered, it would have traveled all the way around the belt.

Finally getting her belongings back, she slowly made her way towards the exit, narrowly avoiding passersby that rushed on either side of her. Some were waving at someone, others on the phone, but everyone passed by without giving her a second glance.

She wished she always had this anonymity. Nobody bothering her or staring at her, nobody gauging her or sizing her up. She was just normal.

The thought was comforting. Once upon a time, she had liked the attention, expected it even. But after failing the test, after agreeing to this deal with her father, she hated every second she could feel someone’s gaze on her.

As if they could see how much of a disappointment she was. To her father, but much more to herself.

Speaking of people staring, she felt a cold sensation making the hair at the back of her neck stand on end, and the weight of someone’s stare. Steeling her features, she looked up as she glanced around, trying to find the culprit, until her heart stopped beating and her stride was suddenly interrupted, rooted in place by the sight before her.

This moment unraveled like so many scenes in the cheesy movies she had watched with Ruby. Time seemed to go unreasonably slowly, and every little detail seemed to catch the eye.

A few paces before her, amidst the sea of people all converging for the exit and obliviously standing in one of the few rays of the rising sun filtering through the tall windows, her eyes caught a patch of red, familiar and reassuring, her attention inexorably drawn as all her focus zeroed on it, and there, right next to the row of double doors leading outside stood Ruby Rose, seemingly searching the crowd for someone.

Her thoughts that had been wreaking havoc up until now abruptly careened into total, absolute stop, and for a moment, all she could hear was the sound of her own breaths as the entire room seemed to be caught in a spell that made everyone freeze in place.

Even with the distance, she could tell that Ruby had benefited from the warm caress of the sun in her absence, because freckles cutely covered the bridge of her nose and all the way across her cheekbones. The sun was catching in Ruby’s eyes and making them shine like the purest of silver, and even if she had buried her hands deep in her jean short’s pocket, she seemed to be relaxed, patiently waiting.

Only the slight crease between her dark eyebrows told of the start of her impatience.

She let her eyes wander over Ruby’s frame, taking in the dark red tank top showing off the girl’s shoulders and arms, and she had a snapback cap sitting on her head that kept her hair from spiking everywhere like it always did. And was she wearing sneakers? Where were her boots?

Time seemed to stumble back on track as those shimmering silver eyes slowly turned to her, and as soon as their eyes met, Ruby’s expression lit up, a large, beaming smile blossoming on her lips.

It was truly the most beautiful sight she had ever laid eyes on. She didn’t think anything could top this moment.

Her heart resuming its thunderous beating, she wondered for a moment if she wasn’t about to pass out, with all that had happened the past week and her heart happily cartwheeling around in her chest now, it left her with slightly trembling knees. But before she could even register it, she was already moving towards Ruby, cruising around the crowd as time slowly settled back to normal, and she felt her heart soar again when the other girl wordlessly opened her arms for her, happiness in her eyes.

Leaving her luggage a few paces behind, she earnestly jumped in them, wrapping her arms tightly around Ruby’s waist and burying her face in the girl’s neck, breathing the scent she had missed so much and relishing Ruby’s presence against her.

Everything from the past week had been awful. Winter’s presence at the Event made it slightly bearable, but everything else?

And now, as she felt Ruby’s arms close around her in her usually tight but comfortable hold, Weiss couldn’t care less. Soaking in Ruby’s presence with closed eyes, she pushed all doubts aside, and for a moment, it was only the two of them in the whole universe.

It was only when she felt Ruby lean her head against hers that it struck her. Ever since her meeting with her father she had tried to find the words to keep Ruby away from her, thinking it was better this way, because she didn’t want to put her in any danger, but now… Now she held onto her like a lifeline, wondering if she could ever let go.

Just the _thought_ of never seeing her again had ben terrifying, and now she didn’t think she would be able to let Ruby out of her sight.

All it took was a smile. A beaming, gorgeous smile, for her to throw caution to the wind. She didn’t even care if someone saw them. She didn’t think she could care _less_.

“Missed me?” She heard Ruby murmur in her ear, guessing the smile on her lips.

“More than you’d think,” she replied in the same way, tightening her hold around Ruby.

The soft laugh the younger girl let out was like balm on her wounded soul, feeling all the cracks and splits mending with just that.

Gods, she thought, breathing Ruby’s scent and trying to memorise it for the rest of her life, she had missed her _so much_.

“I thought I told you not to come,” she commented quietly, somewhere in the depths of Ruby’s neck. “I hope Yang knows you’re here. She’s going to send Blake after you if she doesn’t.”

The comment made Ruby chuckle as she rubbed soothing circles across her back before the younger girl gently pulled away, her hands finding Weiss’ to squeeze them shortly.

“Don’t worry, I left her a note,” Ruby assured with a smile. “But I couldn’t wait to see you! So I wanted to surprise you here!”

Ruby flashed a charming, disarming smile, and she felt the last of her worries vanish like snow in the sun, her shoulders relaxing.

“This is a nice surprise,” she smiled, grateful. “But how about we head home? Now that I’m back, I think I could sleep for a century.”

A chuckle sounded from the younger girl as Ruby went to fetch Weiss’ luggage.

“Heh, I could use a nap, too,” Ruby nodded, briefly touching the edge of her cap. “Kinda had to wake up _super_ early for the surprise. Completely worth it, though!” She was quick to assure, sending a smile towards Weiss.

“I _did_ tell you not to come because it was early,” Weiss playfully scolded her, moving to retrieve the handle of her luggage from Ruby’s hand, and the younger girl chased it away before starting walking. With a quiet sigh, she glanced towards Ruby. “This hat, is it new? I don’t remember seeing you wear this before.”

As if she was just remembering what was sitting on her head, Ruby looked up, touching the edge of the snapback again.

“Oh, yeah! Yang gave me this, said it was perfect for me. What do you think?”

As they were exiting the airport, Ruby stopped and took a few steps away, before turning on her heels slowly so Weiss could have a good look. Which Weiss gladly did.

Even if the warmer season was about to be over, it still dragged on, and it was why Ruby was so underdressed compared to Weiss. She had just assumed the temperature would be the same in Vale. Now she was nearly overheating in her warm boots, thick trousers and jacket, and under it she was wearing a sweater. Fortunately she had stowed away her coat in her luggage before the flight.

Still, she took a moment to look over Ruby, as was expected. The cap was black, the eyeshade and seam red, with four letters adorning the front of the cap in white.

“What does ‘nerd’ mean?” Weiss asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

It was answered by Ruby’s one-shoulder shrug.

“Don’t know, but Yang calls me this all the time, so…”

Humming quietly, Weiss gave her girlfriend one final once over before nodding solemnly.

“Well, she was right,” she started, earning Ruby’s attention instantly. “It looks good on you.”

A light blush colored Ruby’s cheeks as the younger girl smiled, making Weiss’ heart do another set of complicated flips in her chest.

“You look great,” she added, noticing with a small amount of pride how the red of her cheeks grew to be as dark as her namesake.

As Ruby grumbled under her breath, something about Weiss and looking in the mirror, she quickly flagged a cab that was waiting nearby, and soon, they were both huddled inside, en route to Weiss’ apartment.

As soon as the cab jumped on the road, she sank back in her seat, sighing deeply. Her headache still hadn’t let up, lurking in the back of her mind and only waiting the right time to strike, and only now could she feel how tired she was. She could feel it all the way to her bones. She was exhausted.

Lolling her head to the side, Weiss looked at Ruby as the other girl was staring out the window, her hands resting on her lap. Ruby, even though she loved holding hands and being close to Weiss as often as possible, had understood to refrain her marks of affection when out in public. But right now, seeing that Ruby didn’t even _try_ to at least hold her hand didn’t sit right with her.

Reaching over, Weiss lightly set her hand over Ruby’s, earning surprised silver eyes to look down on their hands, and when she laced their fingers together, Ruby looked over at her, a ridiculously large and borderline stupid grin plastered on her lips.

Seeing how happy it made Ruby, she wondered why she had refrained before. The shine in Ruby’s beautiful silver eyes was priceless, the most precious thing in the world.

Right in this moment, as they shared a smile in the silence of the cab, she knew she would do anything for Ruby.

Anything.

 

****

 

Weiss barely had the time to take a step inside her apartment that Ruby abandoned Weiss’ luggage near the door to tug her to the living room, making a beeline for the couch, and even though she kept insisting that she had more rooms than she knew what to do with, that they could at _least_ nap in real beds, Ruby pouted. Pulling her bright, pitiful puppy-dog eyes, Weiss could only admit defeat with a sigh as she let Ruby lead her to the couch.

It wasn’t all bad, though. They would stay close, all snuggled up as Ruby laid on top of Weiss, her head resting on her chest, her soft breaths caressing her skin, and Weiss kept threading her fingers through Ruby’s short hair, feeling so soft between her fingers. The sun was sending sideway rays inside, and she could see specs of dust lazily floating in them, as they rested in the silence of the room.  She could feel Ruby’s heart beating gently against her as she snuggled closer.

Such a simple moment, but to her, it felt like a moment of grace.

“Ruby?”

She didn’t dare project her voice louder than a whisper, for this moment might disappear with it. But the girl against her heard, shifting to bump her nose against Weiss’ chin to tell her she was listening.

“I did something impossibly stupid.”

Unsurprisingly, the peaceful moment was disrupted when Ruby abruptly straightened her head, propping herself on her elbows as her growing worry showed in her silver eyes, considering her cautiously.

“‘Stupid’ isn’t even in your vocabulary,” Ruby finally let out, a bit hesitant. “What did you do?”

“I blatantly ignored Father’s direct order.”

The other girl’s expression hardened slightly as she lowered her eyes in thoughts, thankfully keeping her snarky remarks for herself as an unhappy frown formed on her features, and Weiss reached up, brushing back the bangs falling in front of those beautiful, beautiful silver eyes.

“I have fallen in love with you,” she breathed, feeling her heart pounding against her chest.

For a second, Ruby froze, her eyes widening as Weiss’ hand traveled back to cup her cheek, her thumb caressing soothingly. Slowly, as the words she had just said were being processed, silver eyes looked up to meet her stare.

She had known for a while, now, but had never been ready to admit it. But how could she do otherwise when Ruby’s smallest smile towards her made her heart soar like it did? When every kiss felt like heaven? When her laugh was the most beautiful melody to her ears?

And after this week, after being so afraid of losing her, it made Weiss realise that she was in love with Ruby. She just didn’t know what to do with this information.

Because, let’s face it: she had zero experience in the matter.

But she had heard about it, in books or movies, always describing it as something intense and beautiful, but they never told it was also terrifying. To know that someone has your heart in their hands, and to let them know, too. And they either could cherish it, or snuff it out.

In a way, it is the greatest, completely and utterly, the ultimate trust fall.

As she touched Ruby’s lips with the tip of her finger, tracing the edge, the younger girl smiled tenderly, pecking her finger.

“I’ve fallen in love with you, too,” Ruby murmured before leaning down to take her lips.

It made Weiss smile in the kiss as she closed her eyes, feeling her heart soar as it hammered away against her ribcage, knowing that Ruby would be there to catch her right up.

She snaked her other hand around Ruby’s neck, pulling her ever-so-slightly closer against her as she deepened the kiss.

Before long they parted, pressing their foreheads together as they were both panting, and she fluttered her eyes open, instantly locking on Ruby’s.

For a moment they stayed like this, pressed together, until the younger girl brought a hand up, caressing Weiss’ left cheek with the back of her fingers, trailing one over the scar that ran across her eye, hidden under the makeup she had to put on this very morning.

“What do we do now?” Ruby breathlessly asked, rubbing the tips of their noses together.

Letting out a half-choked laugh, Weiss closed her eyes again, swallowing, focusing on her girlfriend’s soft touch.

“I was hoping you would tell me,” was all she said.

It made Ruby huff, playfully pinching Weiss’ cheek before she settled back against her chest, wiggling an arm under her to hold her.

“How about we grab a nap, for now?” the younger girl proposed. “We’ll figure it out later, okay?”

Nuzzling in Ruby’s dark hair, Weiss simply nodded with a hum, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend’s frame, and with a content sigh, Ruby snuggled closer.

“And Weiss?” Ruby’s voice sounded, light and soft, but still filled with certainty. “Whatever happens next, I’m here for you. We all are. You know that, right?”

Letting out a sigh, Weiss stared at the ceiling above them, the white painted in orange in the morning sun, and as she slipped her fingers through Ruby’s hair again, she wordlessly nodded, leaning her cheek against the dark head.

 

****

 

 _She was running. She didn’t know for how long she was, but all she remembered was that she had to keep running. It was either that, or face that…_ Thing _._

_The darkness around her slowly cleared, revealing an awfully familiar, and interminable hallway, with tall, stark white walls, decorated sparsely with velvety curtains, colored in various shades of blue. On each side of her, there were rows and rows of doors, leading to who knew where._

_She could hear her breathless pants, her lungs burning with each breath, and the sound of her own footsteps echoed in the otherwise empty hallway. She could almost smell the scent of melting wax as candles lighted the hallway._

_There was a crushing weight pressing down her chest, constricting it and keeping her from breathing properly, and as fear kept pumping adrenaline in her veins, she glanced around, trying to identify the threat._

_She noticed she was carrying Myrtenaster in her left hand, the blood dripping from it standing out harshly against the pale blade, and only now did she felt warm blood trickling down her chin, blurring in a red hue her left eye as pain blossomed there. Stumbling to a stop, she tried to catch her breath, wiping her eye with the back of her left hand, squeezing the handle of her rapier._

_There was a noise, behind her, down the hallway. Clanking, a rhythmic, steady noise, slowly but surely growing louder as the ground started to shake with it as it grew closer. Quickly glancing over her shoulder, still trying to shake this crushing weight that kept her from catching her breath, she felt her blood freeze in her veins at the sight._

_An oversized knight, his armor shining in the strangely white light of the candles, was running to her, dragging his large two-hand sword behind him and not caring about the destruction he left behind, and she could feel his intense stare on her, making her throat constrict._

_A flash of light in her eye caught her attention of said sword, and the sight of_ her _blood, oversaturated red against the white of it, made her panic. All her senses urged her, pushed her to run again, and so she did, resuming her crazy race._

_Suddenly, her foot bumped into something, making her tumble over, her weapon skidding painfully loudly against the stark white tiles, just enough to be out of reach, and the ground shook with each step the knight took closer._

_Panicked, she crawled to her weapon, quickly taking hold of it and loosing precious seconds as she did, but as she tried to stand again, the ground shaking so much that she had to lean against the wall to do so, she threw a dark glyph behind her to halt the advance of the knight for a moment._

_Or at least, she tried to._

_Sharp pain blossomed right between her shoulder blades as she felt a burning sensation there, hearing the skin sizzling, and she fell to her knees, crying out in pain. Her breath caught in her throat, she flicked her wrist, thrusting forward with Myrtenaster as the barrel of her weapon turned and settled on blue, about to send a couple of icy shards-_

_Another cry of pain tore through her throat, and this time she lost her grip on her weapon, hearing it clatter on the floor as she leaned over, her arm trembling as she tried to push herself up, reaching her other hand over her shoulder and glancing behind it to try and see what was causing the pain._

_Behind her, the knight had caught up with her, the large blade suddenly replaced with a long metal rod, the tip flat and circular as it sizzled, burning white-hot._

_A strangled noise passed her lips as she looked up, seeing the knight looming over her, slowly bringing his arm up above his head, burning tip first. Frozen in place in her terror, she stared with wide eyes, and through the slits of the helmet, she recognised the stormy gray eyes of her father._

_The next second, the knight brought his arm down, delivering the finishing blow-_

Jolting awake, Weiss barely registered it when Ruby yelped in surprise as the younger girl was all but shoved off the couch, landing with a loud thump on the floor as she was halfway up, her throat still constricted as she was panting, each breaths wheezing, covered in sweat and shaking all the way to her bones.

It took her a moment to understand it had only been a dream, as her eyes scanned the room again and again, before registering that she was in the living room of her apartment, not back at the mansion, and that she was with-

Ruby!

Finally turning her eyes to her girlfriend, she took in the confused expression painting Ruby’s face as she stared at her, still blinking the sleep from her silver eyes as she stayed sprawled on the floor.

It had only been a dream. _Again_.

“Are you alright?” She managed to croak, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

Ruby gave her a sidelong glance, her confusion turning to worry.

“Are you?” she asked in turn.

The trembling thumbs-up she offered to Ruby didn’t seem to convince her at all as she quickly picked herself off the floor to take her hands, before sitting beside her on the edge of the couch.

“Was it your nightmare again?” The younger girl understood instantly, giving her hands a soft, reassuring squeeze.

“I-”

Her voice broke then, and she had to take a deep breath and clear her throat before she trusted her voice again. Reassuring Ruby when fear was still echoing through her bones was harder than she thought it would be.

“It’s just- Bad memories mixed together,” she tried to dismiss the situation, brushing a trembling hand in front of her. “I’m fine.”

Again, Ruby gave her a sideway look, this time in warning. But she didn’t press the issue as she only pulled her in her arms, looping loosely her arms around her.

“Yeah, I get it,” the younger girl murmured in her ear. “Still doesn’t make it easier.”

She almost melted in the embrace, leaning on Ruby as the younger girl sat back in the couch, still holding her. She curled up against her, tucking her head in the crook of her shoulder, and slowly, the thundering sound of blood rushing in her veins sounding in her ears subdued, traded by the calming, rhythmic sound of Ruby breathing, and as she nuzzled closer, her heart beating.

“Is there something else I can do?” Ruby asked quietly, rubbing her back soothingly.

“You’re already perfect,” Weiss murmured in the crook of her girlfriend’s neck, feeling her shoulders relax.

She could feel Ruby smiling as she tightened her hold around Weiss, and she tucked her ice cold feet under the younger girl’s thigh, greedily stealing her warmth, and the burning sensation that still lingered between her shoulder blades gradually faded, leaving her painless and completely relaxed against Ruby. She could feel the younger girl dozing off, too, one of her hands resting lightly on her hip.

She had missed this so much. Cuddles with Ruby, being so close to her like this. Never in her life had she _thought_ of liking being snuggled close like this, and here she was, still shifting to try and press closer. She just wanted to feel everything; she didn’t want to miss anything from the girl she loved.

But she knew she was acting selfishly. Ignoring her father’s order was unbelievably brash. How long before the news reached his ears? Hours? Days? What would he do, then?

Ruby assured that she would stay by her side, but she wasn’t sure if Ruby knew just how _far_ her father could reach, or how money could blind people’s trust. She wasn’t from this world, and would never be.

The nightmare was just another reminder of how much she lost to Jacques. But how could she make it right? Either way, with or without her father’s intervention, she would be separated from Ruby. In both cases, she was in the losing side. In both cases, she would still lose everything.

It wasn’t fair for Ruby. Most of all, _Weiss_ wasn’t being fair with her. She had to warn her. Jacques didn’t care for collateral damage. He wouldn’t care if, in his condescending strike on Weiss, he caught Ruby, or Yang or Blake.

Just admitting her feeling to the girl had been unfair. Now it felt even harder to even _think_ of letting go.

“What’s up?” She suddenly heard Ruby ask in a breath, her voice heavy with sleep.

It startled her slightly, for she thought the girl was asleep.

“Nothing,” she lied, her voice as quiet as Ruby’s as she nuzzled her neck.

“You’ve been sighing a whole bunch of times for ‘nothing’?”

She bit her lip, almost cursing at Ruby’s ever attentiveness.

But she would never do that. She knew she needed Ruby to see through her lies, sometimes.

“You know my father will retaliate, right?” she finally let out, hoping it didn’t sound as afraid as she was.

A simple shrug answered her.

“Yeah, I figured so,” Ruby casually replied. “But I told you earlier, didn’t I? I’ll be right here with you when it happens.”

“But-”

“It’s going to be alright, Weiss,” the younger girl assured, squeezing her tightly against her. “He has to know he can’t boss you around all your life, right?”

“But what if he turns to you?”

Again, a simple shrug answered her, making Weiss alarmingly relax about the whole thing.

“What could he do? Try to bribe me? Won’t work. Kick us out of our place? The landlord is a family friend. He’ll never do that to us, or he’ll have to deal with Uncle Qrow. And if he tries to go after Blake, well good luck. She takes a lot of pride in the fact that she’s untraceable.”

It seemed so simple, to Ruby. It seemed such an easy feat to quell her worries like it was nothing more than inconveniences. And in this moment, she believed her, had faith in every word she spoke, so much so that she completely relaxed in the girl’s arms, knowing that she was safe and sound, and that nothing would reach her as long as Ruby would hold her.

As long as Ruby was with her, she could face anything. Even her worst nightmares. Even her father.

 

****

 

Yang and Blake had barged in Weiss’ apartment as she was stepping out of the shower, the faunus entering without knocking as if she owned the place. It took a total of three seconds before Yang’s first comment at her expense.

“So, how’re ya doing, lady killer?” the blonde winked her way, kicking her shoes off. “Already swooning Ruby off her feet, huh?”

It made Ruby groan, rising from the comfy cushions of the couch to slap her sister’s shoulder as the oldest laughed heartily, and Blake barely held back her eye roll.

“Soon you’ll propose to her!” Yang continued, barely moving to block or dodge her sister’s incoming blows. “Because those messages looked like the perfect intro for a proposal!”

After delivering a few hard punches in her sister’s shoulder and one well-placed in her ribs that made the tall blonde loose her breath, Ruby glanced at her, sending an apologetic look her way.

The three others looked surprised when she only reached over to lace her fingers with Ruby’s tenderly.

“Well, at least you know I was sincere,” Weiss said calmly, smiling at the younger girl who beamed in return.

As Ruby leaned over to peck her cheek, she noticed Yang’s shoulders relaxing, her lilac eyes filled with affection as she looked over them shortly.

“Okay, enough!” the blonde exclaimed before gently pushing her sister to the side, engulfing Weiss in a bone-crushing hug that made her groan in protest. “Heya, Snow pea! It’s good to have you back!”

Managing to pat the blonde’s back a few times as she tried to breathe, Yang finally released her, settling her hands on her shoulders as she squeezed them affectionately.

“Ruby just couldn’t shut up about you _all week_ ,” the blonde was complaining playfully, stepping back so Blake could slung one arm around her shoulders and hug her lightly. “She missed you so much that she started to ask about-”

Suddenly, Ruby’s face grew beet-red as she literally jumped on her sister, hammering punch after punch on Yang’s ribs, seemingly desperate to make her shut up as the blonde was breathlessly laughing, managing to catch one of her sister’s hands on the way. Then, Ruby apparently unsatisfied with how good Yang was getting away with, she ducked her head and rammed her shoulder in the blonde’s stomach, making both of them tumble over with a loud, painful crashing noise.

Meanwhile, Blake and Weiss observed the scene with a single raised eyebrow, before turning away to let them be.

“So how was the trip?” Blake asked, calmly sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen island, unbothered by the chocked laughs and exclamations behind her.

“Impressively long,” Weiss chose to say, opening a cabinet to pull out two cups and the box of tea she was sure Blake had _purposefully_ forgot at her place.

Nodding wordlessly, the faunus stared at her as she moved around the kitchen to prepare some tea, and the sounds of struggles coming from the living room had stopped, replaced instead by hushed voices that Weiss couldn’t quite make words out, but judging by Blake’s flicking ears from time to time, she was listening in on the conversation.

She was pouring the steaming liquid into Blake’s cup as she quickly glanced at her, and she saw the faunus’ thoughtful expression, her amber eyes lowered to the cup, and after looking over Blake’s shoulder to make sure the sisters were still in the living room, slightly leaned over.

“Did you talk to Yang?”

Keeping her voice quiet as she poured some tea into her own cup, she noticed when Blake looked up to stare at her briefly.

“Yes,” the faunus nodded, keeping her voice as quiet as her.

“And?” Weiss pressed.

She didn’t want to be nosy, but… She really wanted to know if there has been any improvement while she had been away.

Judging by Blake’s forlorn expression, it had not.

“She said ‘soon’,” the faunus grumbled unhappily, bringing her cup to her lips.

Reaching over to lightly squeeze her hand, Blake sighed, nodding her head imperceptibly as the sisters were finally coming back into the kitchen, Ruby’s cheeks still a bit red, from embarrassment or exertion she didn’t know, and Yang had a bump on her forehead, steadily growing swollen as the seconds went by, but she didn’t even looked bothered by it as her smile was radiant.

“What are you two whispering about?” the blonde asked, a glint of mirth in her eyes as she took place beside Blake.

“I was telling Blake how boring my flight was,” Weiss answered, the faunus nodding solemnly in agreement.

Yang arched a single blond eyebrow.

“I’m _so sad_ I missed this,” the blonde let out, sarcasm dripping with every word.

“Instead, you did a very good job of embarrassing Ruby,” Blake quietly commented, glancing at the younger girl, who kept shifting on her seat as all eyes turned to her.

Glaring at them, Ruby pulled her tongue at her sister, who only chuckled in response as it made Blake smile.

The silence that followed was disturbed by a loud rumbling, and Ruby’s cheeks grew a deep shade of red again as she reached for her stomach, seemingly shrinking in her seat.

“You’re hungry?” Weiss asked, surprise, although she should have known. It was past lunch, and she didn’t remember seeing Ruby eat anything ever since this morning at the airport.

“I was too excited this morning, and I couldn’t eat anything,” the younger girl answered reluctantly, looking everywhere but at them.

“Well…” she started, furrowing her brows as she was already opening the fridge and quickly reviewing her options. “I don’t have much, but maybe I could make a salad…”

She trailed off as she stole a glance towards her girlfriend, seeing the slight grimace the news created, and she closed the fridge decidedly, setting her hands on her hips.

“Actually, how about we go out?” she asked, glancing between the three other girls. “My treat.”

It earned three pair of surprised raised eyebrows.

“You mean, like, eating somewhere?” Ruby asked cautiously.

Weiss nodded.

“Anywhere?” Blake asked, this time.

Humming, Weiss nodded again.

“Even in one of your _really_ fancy restaurant?” Yang asked in a gasp, almost bouncing in her seat.

“Under the sole condition of _behaving_ ,” she warned, serving Yang with a pointed look.

The three girls glanced at each other, and it was Ruby who nodded with a large smile, straightening her back.

“Okay, then! If you don’t mind!”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyyyy
> 
> Gonna drop this, for I missed my virtual due date. Again. Anyway, thanks for reading! I'm so glad you guys like this story!
> 
> But, uh, as many of you predicted, shit starts to get real after this. But it'll be okay! I think!

Blake chose the place, in the end. Something faunus-friendly, of course; the last thing they wanted was to cause a scene. At least, it was the last thing Blake wanted. And it wasn’t _too_ fancy, (judging by the very long, thoughtful stare she had posed on both Ruby and Yang, it wasn’t hard to understand why) but it still required for a little change of clothes.

Weiss didn’t have to spend much more time than just change into slightly lighter clothes, but the stop they made to the sister’s apartment was far, _far_ longer than necessary. At least, in her opinion.

Blake had been the most efficient of the three, unsurprisingly. Then Ruby. And Yang was still returning to her room with each of Blake’s shake of her head.

As they waited for Yang, Ruby was seated on the couch, paging through a magazine that Yang had left on the low table while Weiss paced across the room, calling to make a reservation. When the lady asked for a time, it only took a glance towards Blake, who was shaking her head again at Yang, to say that they would be there in an hour.

When she hung up, sighing, she couldn’t help the irritated hiss in her voice when the blonde’s door opened, only for Blake to shake her head again, the faunus starting to show signs of annoyance, too when the door slammed shut again.

“What is taking so long?” She asked, raising her voice so the blonde could hear through the closed door. “You just have to wear something classy but casual!”

“I _am_ wearing something classy but casual!” They heard Yang’s voice, muffled through the walls.

“No. You’re dressed like you want to hook up with everyone at the bar,” Blake dryly retorted. “I shouldn’t see that much skin if we’re just going for lunch with friends.”

Inside the room, there was a grumbled response that made Blake’s cheeks heat up slightly as her amber eyes hastily turned towards Ruby, obliviously still paging the magazine. Reassured, the faunus’s expression contorted into an annoyed one, and she banged on the door once in warning.

The blonde’s laughter was the only response to that.

Rolling her eyes all the way across the continent, Weiss turned her attention to Ruby instead, who was humming a song to herself under her breath and, seemingly feeling her stare, looked up at her suddenly.

“Did I tell you how pretty you look?” the younger girl candidly said, smiling one of her charming smile.

Suddenly speechless at the sincerity of the comment, she was staring at Ruby with her mouth hung open, blinking as she felt her cheeks gradually heat up, causing the girl to chuckle.

“You look pretty too,” was the only thing she finally managed to mumble back.

In the corner of her eye, Blake’s eye roll was so obvious she could almost physically feel it.

“Oh thank you!” Ruby nonetheless perked up, smoothing her skirt on her thigh. “I like wearing skirts!”

“Then why don’t you wear them more often?”

“Because I like to sit like a man!”

As soon as she said the words, Ruby slouched back in the couch, draping one leg over the armrest and effectively making Weiss’ blush even redder and darker than it was. She was glad to be on the other side of the couch, or she might have died of blood loss.

“But apparently it’s frowned upon, or so Yang tells me,” Ruby added with a slight pout and a wistful sigh.

“Finally!” Blake groaned, earning both of their attention. “ _This_ is classy but casual.”

The blonde was standing in the doorway of her bedroom, snorting rather inelegantly.

“ _This_ is boring!” Yang retorted right back, gesturing at her simple yet proper shirt and trousers.

“Well, you can still roll up your sleeves,” Blake commented after a beat of silence, a lot softer than before, and took a step closer to start rolling one. “And you can pop a button if you feel too hot. Classy, but casual.”

Instantly, the blonde’s hands were reaching up and unbuttoned the first and second button of her shirt, Blake dutifully redoing the second one. With a resigned sigh, Yang started rolling up the sleeve of her prosthetic, stopping it at her elbow.

“For what it’s worth,” Blake added when Yang was looking at herself in the mirror with a defeated expression. “I like it.”

Freezing her movements for a second, the blonde blinked, before looking back to the faunus.

“Really?”

It only took a nod and a soft hum from Blake for Yang’s doubts to seemingly be thrown to the wind, the blonde purposefully stepping in the living room and somehow making Weiss feel like it hadn’t taken her half an hour to get dressed.

Jumping to her feet, Ruby abandoned the magazine on the table, bringing both hands up above her head.

“Are we ready? Are we going?” She asked excitedly, her silver eyes bouncing from one face to the other.

“Yup! We’ll meet you there?”

Sending a questioning look towards Weiss, Yang rummaged around her jacket’s pocket in search of her keys, only to be stopped when she raised a hand.

“I’m driving. I told you; my treat. You just enjoy the view for once, hm?”

Striding in front of her to grab her purse from the table, she glanced over her shoulder, sending a smile as she reached a hand behind her, her fingers wiggling.

“Come along, Ruby.”

Bounding to her to lace their fingers together with a radiant smile, Ruby locked eyes with her for a second, squeezing her fingers before she followed obediently, hearing Yang groan behind them about being too mushy. Ignoring the comment, Weiss still strode out of the apartment with all the confidence of the world.

During the drive, Weiss decided that nothing would ruin her good mood, and she didn’t think much of other cars honking at her when she took a moment too long at a stop sign.

Although Ruby seemed to have something to say to those drivers.

Never deterred, she drove them to the restaurant, a nice rock-and-wood façade that gave it an antique feeling. Glancing up in the rear mirror, she caught Blake’s amber eyes, giving her an approval nod.

Still, they had a bit of time left and they had to find a parking spot, and Weiss cruised through the narrow streets of downtown slowly, the four of them commenting the architecture or the shops there.

Taking a mental note of the name of the shop Ruby had almost drooled over all over the window, understanding it was one that sold weapon parts and even a bit of Dust, she took it in stride for maybe a future date.

The thought made her a bit uneasy, as she gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. She was doing all this right under her father’s nose, and it was enough to twist her gut in apprehension, wondering when, or _how_ her father would react.

A light hand settling on her thigh made her blink and glance down, realising that Ruby had somehow felt her starting distress and had reached over. Looking up, she caught the reassuring smile the younger girl was sending her way, affecting her in instant relaxation.

Returning the smile, grateful, Weiss turned her attention back to the road, and as she did, a parking spot seemed to appear right in front of them.

Finally making their way to the restaurant, Ruby probably starving by now, they were greeted by a young man with small antlers that had a charming smile, before he led them to their table.

The place was fuller than they thought, the constant conversation around them buzzing, but Weiss had managed to take a table right beside a window, so they could have a view of the rest of downtown and as they were in the corner, it felt somewhat private.

“Faunus friendly restaurants are rare,” Blake said to the man, who smiled politely. “Even more with faunus employees.”

The man smiled again, clasping his hands behind his back after he pushed Blake’s chair, seeing that Ruby was taken care of by Weiss.

“All the staff here is faunus,” he proudly said.

“Really?” It seemed to make Blake bristle at that. “Who funded you?”

Visibly taken aback by her change of tone, the man blinked, and Blake took the time to continue.

“We all know faunus owners can’t start something like this alone,” she threw a hand around, vaguely gesturing to the restaurant. “Unless they have invested an astronomical amount of cash _and_ pulled some strings. But maybe, someone funded you, so they could use rooms upstairs for shady deals and the likes.”

Blake’s steadily accusing tone made all of them stare at her, and Yang, who was sitting beside her, set a gentle hand on her arm. It only made Blake’s ears fall flat on her head as she stared hardly at the waiter, who smiled again, seemingly used to this reaction.

“If you are talking about the White Fang potentially funding us, well I can say proudly that it is not the case. And you are right, of course; we did have a little help. The people that invested in this restaurant are Huntresses. Coco Adel and Velvet Scarlatina. I believe Miss Adel’s words were ‘Fine dining shouldn’t be exclusive to humans.’”

His answer made Blake visibly relax, and as if he knew what was on her mind, his expression became more somber and serious as he reached a hand to lightly touch her shoulder.

“As one of our founders is faunus and against White Fang actions, we have banned them. We have a list of name of every high ranking member, pictures too, and we check every single faunus when they take a reservation, to make sure.”

“You didn’t check me up,” Blake quietly commented, furrowing her brows.

“Because we didn’t think a White Fang member would mingle with Miss Schnee,” the young man answered, bowing his head to Weiss gracefully.

Finding nothing else to say, Blake only hummed with a nod, and the waiter nodded too.

“Then I will be right back with your menus.”

As soon as he stepped away, Ruby leaned over.

“What was that?” She asked in a whisper that wasn’t very quiet or discreet. “We’re supposed to have fun, not interrogate people!”

“I didn’t check the background of the restaurant when I chose it!” the faunus defended herself, but she still looked down at the table, a flash of remorse in her eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Yang was gently saying to Blake, the hand on her arm squeezing reassuringly. “We’ll just apologise later, right?”

It earned a nod from Blake as Ruby let out a sigh, sitting back in her chair.

“Well, at least he was nice enough to reassure you. I wonder how many times a week these kinda things happen.”

“I’m also glad I won’t get kidnapped in the middle of lunch, too,” Weiss added as she looked around the restaurant.

She really liked it. There was a foyer in the center with a fire constantly crackling there, and even though it was the middle of the day it sent flickers of warm light around, reflecting on the rocks forming the walls and giving a new shine to the dark wood that accompanied it.

“What?”

Yang’s voice rang strangely loudly in her ears, and when she looked back, all three pair of eyes were on her. She shrugged.

“The White Fang has been after my family for decades. Now that I know those thieves won’t get past the front door, I can enjoy it fully.”

“They aren’t thieves.”

The instant retort made her rise her eyebrows in surprise as Blake’s expression was steeled, her golden eyes drilled on her.

“The White Fang stole hundreds of millions of liens worth of Dust from Schnee Dust Company, Blake. I wonder how they are not thieves, and I’m kindly stopping the name-calling at that.”

“It was merely to take back what the company took from faunus slavery.”

When she narrowed her eyes, both Ruby and Yang decided to intervene.

“Okay! So much for a casual lunch with friends!” The blonde forced a laugh at what she tried as a joke while Ruby was squeezing Weiss’s hand under the table. “Next time I’m choosing the place,” Yang finished in a mumble.

“I agree that Father’s methods are… questionable,” Weiss said, her voice quivering slightly at the choice of the word. “But I still think there are other ways to be heard.”

“The peaceful protests never worked!” The faunus snapped, her ears flat on her head again. Yang’s hand on her arm made golden eyes flick to the blonde for a moment, Yang imperceptibly bowing her head as a silent exchange between them occurred. Finally, Blake took in a deep breath.

“You’re right.”

Turning to her, Blake locked eyes with Weiss, her expression hard but her eyes held sadness in them.

“There are other ways to be heard. But it’s large conglomerates like the Schnee Dust Company that should understand; we are people, too.”

At that moment, their waiter came back with their menus before distributing one to each of them.

“So what would you like to drink?” He asked cheerfully, pulling out a notepad and a pen from a pocket, seemingly oblivious to the heavy atmosphere at the table.

For the first time in her life, Weiss was tempted to order alcohol.

 

****

 

Fortunately, Yang and Ruby, working together, managed to ease the residual tension at the table, bickering like they always did and managing to make both Blake and Weiss smile and even laugh, and soon, the subject was pushed aside and forgotten. At least, for now.

The dishes were superb, although Ruby demolished hers in record time before eying with envy at Weiss’ nearly still full plate, the younger girl knowing she would never be able to finish it. So, when she was done, it didn’t surprise her when Ruby gasped when she pushed her plate in front of Ruby, only smiling fondly as the girl thanked her profusely.

Their plates empty and scraped clean, (Thank you, Ruby) the waiter came by to collect them, still a charming smile on his lips.

“Will you be taking desserts? Shall I bring the card?”

“It won’t be necessary,” Weiss answered, noticing the defeated look Ruby sent her way in the corner of her eye. “We’ll take all of it.”

It made the young man pause, a plate lifted halfway to the pile in his hand.

“All of it?” He asked again, to make sure.

“I don’t think I stuttered.”

He bowed his head, smiling.

“It will be right over.”

Then he disappeared.

There was a stunned silence at the table as she looked outside, trying to hide her smile when both sisters beamed at her.

“Did you just order _all_ the desserts on the card?” Ruby asked, but the way she kept bouncing in her seat told her she already knew the answer.

“That way I could get a bite of everything, and you could have as many as you want.”

As the younger girl bounded over to wrap her in a tight hug and kiss her cheek, causing her to smile with a laugh, Yang reached over, touching her hand to catch her attention.

“Thanks, Weiss,” the blonde let out, sincere. “For this.”

She gestured at them, at the restaurant around them, to make sure she wasn’t just talking about the desserts coming, and Blake nodded beside her, a thankful smile on her lips. It made her cheeks slightly heat up, but she shrugged one shoulder, trying to be casual.

“It’s my pleasure, really. I just wanted to spoil you while I can.”

“While you can?” Blake repeated. “What does that mean?”

Freezing her movement upon the realisation she had let this bit slip, she felt Ruby’s hand on her knee, squeezing reassuringly.

“Is that about what Ruby said to Yang earlier?” The faunus continued. “That you were in trouble?”

Her expression twisting quickly from confusion to surprise then mild anger, Ruby leaned over to lightly slap the faunus’ hand.

“I told Yang in _private_!”

“There is no privacy when you’re not even ten paces away from me, you know that,” Blake calmly replied, her eyes never leaving Weiss’.

At the response, Ruby’s face suddenly burned with a dark blush, but Yang leaned over, her expression suddenly more serious than a moment earlier.

“If there’s something we can do, whatever it is,” the blonde assured. “You just have to call or text, we’ll be there.”

The faunus nodded solemnly beside Yang, and she felt Ruby snake a hand in hers to squeeze it gently as she was rendered speechless for a moment, feeling utterly unworthy of all this love, acceptance and support, and she had to swallow past the lump forming in her throat in order to talk, bowing her head slightly in gratitude.

“Thank you,” she murmured, but it was answered by the smile of the three others. “As I am not yet in trouble, I suggest we just enjoy it while it lasts.”

Before one of them could add something else, their waiter came back with a cart filled with various desserts, and Ruby perked up beside her with a loud, delighted gasp.

 

****

 

They had decided to spend the afternoon in downtown, admiring the preparations for the upcoming Vytal Festival, where teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses could show their skills in friendly matches, and seeing Ruby so excited about it made Weiss slip her scroll out of her pocket, discreetly seeing if there were still tickets available for the bleachers in the arena but unfortunately, it was sold out.

The idea of reaching out to one of the buyers to buy their tickets back, along with a large compensation, came up in her mind but she rapidly dismissed it, knowing that it would make Ruby sad that the people who had first bought it wouldn’t get to see it.

They went for diner in one of the food stand downtown, introducing Weiss to the concept of eating while standing _for fun_ , and it was later in the evening that they decided to call it a day. The nap her and Ruby had took earlier had helped, but it still wasn’t a full night of sleep, and it was clear that Weiss was exhausted.

Still, she turned Yang down when she proposed to drive, and the ride back was spent in a comfortable silence, with Ruby’s hand in hers all the while. The quiet sound of the radio filled the silence, and Weiss turned the volume up when she noticed Ruby humming the song that was playing, earning a grateful smile in return.

She pulled up in front of the sister’s apartment, glancing in the rear mirror.

“Ladies,” Weiss let out, using a diligent voice. “You have arrived at destination.”

It made Yang snort as Blake chuckled quietly, both moving to get out of the car, and she was about to lean over to kiss Ruby goodbye when she realised that the younger girl didn’t seem to be moving. Only her fumbling with the hem of her skirt told of a level of nervousness.

“Ruby?” She asked quietly, wondering why her girlfriend seemed so nervous. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah!” Was the instant answer.

“Uh… Aren’t you coming too, Rubles?” Yang finally voiced with concern, closing the door only to lean against Ruby’s.

“Well, you see, I was wondering if I could stay at Weiss’ place for the night?” Ruby tried, smiling up with hope in her eyes, before remembering something crucial, and glanced towards Weiss. “If you want to?”

Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she finally found her voice again, choosing to ignore the way Yang was suddenly glaring poisonous daggers at her.

“Of course! I guess a bit of company won’t hurt, but… I probably won’t be staying up late.”

“That’s okay!” Ruby beamed, turning to her sister with pleading eyes, now.

Yang, frown firmly in place, kept glancing from her to Ruby, visibly hesitant, but Blake not so discreetly elbowed the blonde before serving her with a pointed look when she did look up.

“Fine, don’t yell at me,” Yang finally grumbled to Blake before turning to Ruby. “Okay. But if there’s anything, _anything at all_ , you call me. Understand?”

“Absolutely, whatever you say!” The youngest sister exclaimed, happily throwing her arms around her sister’s neck to pull her in a hug, so rare it seemed.

Instantly, Yang’s frown softened as she wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders to return the hug tightly, closing her eyes briefly as if letting Ruby go was the hardest thing she had ever done. Then, the blonde nuzzled in her sister’s hair, murmuring something in her ear that resulted in a hard shove from Ruby and a light slap on the shoulder from Blake.

A teasing smirk on her face as she ruffled the younger girl’s hair, Yang then looked up as Ruby shooed her hand away, her lilac eyes locking with Weiss’, a silent plea in hers.

She was entrusted with Ruby. Even if it was only for one night, Weiss felt as if Yang had transferred Ruby’s responsibility to her. It was the most important thing in the world for the blonde, and she accepted it reverently.

Finally, Yang pulled away from Ruby’s window, settling for a simple wave along with Blake as Weiss pulled away, towards her apartment.

Beside her, Ruby was silent but she was bounding with sudden energy, almost vibrating in her seat as she slipped her hand in Weiss’ again, her smile a mile wide.

“Are you alright?” She felt the need to ask, a bit amused at Ruby’s antics.

“I’m super great!” The younger girl exclaimed, raising their joined hands between them. “I get to spend the night with you!”

Huffing, she squeezed Ruby’s fingers lightly, glancing over at her.

“Well don’t get too excited, because I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep in the middle of a movie if we watch one. Or as soon as it starts.”

“That’s okay! I’ll take care of you!”

The response made her huff again, this time shaking her head. Anything involving her could get Ruby happy in a way she didn’t quite understand. Well… She could understand, for she was unreasonably happy whenever she could spend time with Ruby, but…

Sometimes she couldn’t understand what Ruby saw in her, what in her could make someone fall in love with her, it was just… such a strange concept for her. Falling for Ruby was easy, she was so kind, so understanding, so funny and smart and so many things that she didn’t have enough words to ever describe accurately and that she’ll never be.

Shaking her head, she focused on the present, listening to Ruby singing happily along to the song playing over the radio.

Finally arriving, her exhaustion hit like a truck as soon as she parked the car in her spot, and she sat back in her seat after killing the engine and ripping the keys from the hole, closing her eyes for a second. A soft touch to her shoulder indicated it might have lasted more than a second, but Ruby didn’t seem to mind as she only giggled, getting out of the car and helpfully carrying Weiss’ purse.

Alone together in the elevator, listening to the soft chime whenever they passed a floor, she felt the younger girl press against her side, gently nuzzling her temple. Melting in the soft caress, she turned her head a bit, searching blindly for Ruby’s lips, the younger girl meeting her halfway.

When Ruby pressed closer, her hands finding Weiss’ waist, she stepped back, leaning against the wall there as she looped her arms around the younger girl’s neck, pulling her closer. They parted in a hot pant, locking eyes for a moment, and the look in beautiful silver made her heart stutter in her chest.

Ruby’s eyes traveled across her face, her warm breath tickling her skin before one of the hands resting on her waist ghosted over her side, and the gesture sent a shiver down her spine. Then the other girl dove right back, stealing what breath she had.

Pressing impossibly closer, Ruby’s hand cupped her cheek, before her hand moved to the base of her neck, feeling how Weiss’ heart was beating furiously and a breathy moan escaped the girl’s lips, the sound ringing strangely in her ears, causing her heart to stutter again.

How she wanted Ruby to make this noise again.

The realisation hit her then, when, as they parted shortly to take a breath, she was eying the other girl’s neck, wondering how it would feel against her lips, to feel Ruby’s heart beating as wildly as hers, she realised that the situation was about to get out of hand.

The memory of Yang glaring daggers at her did nothing to quell the fire Ruby had started in her stomach.

The sudden, and oddly loud, chime of the elevator bell ringing, instantly followed by the metal doors sliding open was enough to bring them back to the present, Ruby taking a full step back in surprise as she blinked at the hallway appearing in front of them, and she was glad she was already leaned against the wall of the elevator. Her knees were so weak, she was sure she would have stumbled over when Ruby pulled away.

A moment of stillness only broken by their panting fell on them then, broken when the doors started closing. Reaching a hand over to stop it and make the doors slide open again, Ruby looked over at her, slouched in the corner and trying to tame her pounding heart into something a bit more manageable, and she smiled before a giggle bubbled out of her. Following suit, Weiss then pushed herself from the wall and, taking Ruby’s hand in hers again, guided her to her apartment, feeling her face still burning from the intensity of the kiss in the elevator.

They stopped in front of her door, and it took her three times to get the key in the hole, for her hands were shaking so much, and judging by Ruby’s smug grin stamped on her face, she was very pleased to see it.

“Was it your intention from the start?” She quietly asked as she pushed the door open, holding it for the other girl to enter. “Stay over so you could make a mess of me?”

Her voice was playful, if a bit trembling still, but the smirk and slight shrug Ruby sent her way screamed satisfaction.

“Well, it _would_ have been awkward to kiss you like that with Blake and Yang with us in the elevator.”

Rising her eyes to the sky, she closed the door before unceremoniously kicking her shoes off with a content sigh, before dragging her feet to the couch, where she let herself fall face first in it with a groan.

She could be like this, with Ruby. That’s what she had discovered, early in their friendship, it was that she could be herself with Ruby. She would never judge, and most of the time, would go along.

Which the younger girl did as she felt the cushions dip beside her, then something nudging her side repeatedly, insistent, and finally she relented, moving to her side as Ruby slipped there beside her, tucking her head under her chin and draping one of Weiss’ arms across her waist before sighing contentedly.

With Ruby gently nuzzling her neck, comfortably squished between the back of the couch and Ruby’s firm body, she was warm and secured with the girl’s scent in every breath she took, she could feel her body relaxing, suddenly each limb weighing much more than she was able to carry.

“I should prepare your room,” Weiss mumbled in Ruby’s hair, trying to shake herself into action. “Do you have something to change into? Pajamas?”

There was a silence as Ruby imperceptibly tensed in her arms.

“I forgot to bring a change of clothes,” the girl quietly admitted with a helpless laugh. “I wasn’t even sure Yang would really let me stay.”

“Well, it’s not like you were going very far,” Weiss commented.

“Yeah… That, and Blake valiantly fighting for my freedom.”

It made both of them chuckle quietly, and she remembered vividly all the times the faunus had stepped in when Yang’s overprotectiveness was a bit much.

“She’s like my cool older sister, you know?” Ruby was saying with a warm smile. “Always there for me when I need it, but down to help with whatever prank I want to pull. And, she keeps an eye out for me. Even against Yang.”

It made Ruby chuckle again, shifting against her.

“Sometimes I hear them bickering like an old married couple over me.”

Weiss smiled wordlessly, if a bit sadly. She wished Yang would beat some sense into herself and finally tell Ruby, because apparently, the girl was too oblivious for her own good.

“Pretty sure Yang is convincing herself to come and fetch me back right now,” Ruby was still chuckling.

Lightly knocking her knuckles against Ruby’s head, she smiled nonetheless.

“Don’t jinx it.”

Laughing softly, the other girl grabbed her hand to leave a soft kiss against her palm, before tucking her hand under her chin, trapped in Ruby’s as she shifted to be more comfortable. At this rate, she would fall asleep and wouldn’t even mind. Having Ruby so close to her like this felt like a blessing after so long without her presence and her touch, and she was glad Ruby was staying for the night. She didn’t think she would have been able to sleep all alone, tonight.

The clock ticking the seconds quietly was the only thing filling the silence, but it wasn’t as it usually was, when she was in some kind of haze of pain, after her talks with her father. No, this time, she was grateful for it, for it was a reminder of the time spent with the girl she loved, how much timed passed when holding her, and she knew she could never get enough of this.

Not for all the clocks of the world.

“Can I sleep with you for the night?”

Ruby’s murmur was so quiet, and as she was on the verge of sleep already, she wasn’t sure she heard quite right, and so she felt her brows knit, hearing the soft questioning sound she let out without even registering it.

“I asked if I could sleep with you for the night.”

Suddenly pulled from sleep, the request finally making its way through the fog of her mind, she blinked her eyes open with a sharp intake of air, clearing her throat.

“Well, alright, I don’t mind, but for that we would have to move… And I still need to find you something to change into,” she finished with a groan, burying her face in Ruby’s soft hair.

Chuckling lightly, Ruby started pulling away, earning a pout from her when the girl’s warm presence between her arms disappeared, and she took Ruby’s offered hand with a sigh, climbing to her feet with a groan.

Dragging her feet to her room and making Ruby giggle on the way, they entered her room, and she went to her closet, searching for something suitable to sleep in and that would fit Ruby. Being a bit taller and a bit broader than her, the search was long but they finally found one of Winter’s old shirts that she had gifted to Weiss when they still lived at the mansion. She remembered it floating around her frame when she had first wore it, but she had felt so glad, safe and sound when Winter was away.

It was still a bit big for Ruby, but it was the only thing she had that would fit her. A pair of loose, training shorts followed the shirt to Ruby’s arms, and the girl was off to change while she did, slipping in her nightgown in record time and already rolling under the covers as Ruby came back in the room.

“Is it alright? Do you need something else?” She nonetheless asked, one leg still poking out of the bed as she paused, ready to fulfill Ruby’s every need.

“Nope!” The girl merely gave her a pair of thumbs-up with a smile. “It’s super comfy!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she relaxed, allowing her leg to slip under the covers. “I therefor name these as your sleepwear whenever you come over. Congratulations.”

The girl gasped, clutching the shirt with all the stars of the night sky in her eyes, excited beyond words as if Weiss had just given her the secret of the universe.

“Thank you! Now I’ll never have to worry about pajamas when I come over!”

Excitedly jumping on the bed, she settled beside Weiss, turning to her side to face her, staring at her with big, bright silver eyes before she smiled warmly, a smile that Weiss returned. Leaning over, she pecked her lips, gently pulling the other girl away when Ruby chased after her lips.

“I don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of a kiss, Ruby.”

The girl pouted for a while, bunching the blankets under her chin to make it stand out, and with a snort Weiss kissed her this time, taking the time to cup her cheek properly before pulling away.

“Goodnight, Ruby.”

“Night, Weiss!”

Finally settling against her fluffy pillow, Ruby’s warmth radiating and warming the blankets nicely along with her reassuring presence dipping the bed in front of her, she felt at ease enough to fall asleep as soon as her eyes closed, barely feeling it when Ruby’s hand snaked across the space separating them to take her hand and lace their fingers together.


	13. Chapter 13

Waking up suddenly, her breath short and the echo of a nightmare still flashing behind her eyelids, she roughly pulled on the hand she couldn’t feel, wondering if it was another repercussion of her nightmares, but snapped her eyes wide open when a soft groan sounded at the sudden movement.

A groan that wasn’t hers.

In front of her, a mass of messy reddish brown hair laid on the pillow next to hers, spiking everywhere, as dark eyebrows furrowed slightly, the form buried under the covers shifting for a second.

Right. Ruby had stayed over, and slept in the same bed as her.

She had also rolled over her arm, using it as a pillow, cutting the flow of blood to her hand.

Instantly relaxing, she settled back on her pillows with a sigh, cursing quietly under her breath. Nightmares had always been around, but they were plaguing her lately.

But she couldn’t care much about it as she looked over the sleeping girl beside her, her panic and terror traded by a peaceful and fond feeling, warming her to her core.

She stayed like this for a moment, simply looking over her, wondering what she was dreaming of. Reaching a hand over, she lightly brushed back the dark bangs falling over Ruby’s face and hiding her features, before ghosting the back of her fingers over the girl’s cheek in a soft caress.

Stirring a bit from the touch, Ruby sighed, and she returned her hand to her, not bothering the girl any more.

 Moving slowly, she looked over Ruby’s form to peek at the digital clock on the nightstand, before falling back face first in her pillow, her groan muffled.

It was barely seven in the morning.

Although, she shouldn’t be surprised of waking up early, since they went to bed as soon as they got back the night before.

Watching over Ruby for a moment more, she finally, and carefully, got out of bed, knowing that Ruby was an early riser and also, she thought with a smile, she was probably going to be hungry, too.

Leaving the door ajar after making sure she hadn’t woke Ruby up by accident, she silently padded to the kitchen, stopping for a second in front of the radio before pushing a button, turning the volume low so she could hear it but it wouldn’t wake the other girl.

Looking over what food she had, she settled on French toast, as it was easy, didn’t require many things and ultimately, always a good choice. She also remembered Ruby saying it was her favorite, too.

Humming along the same cheesy songs that always played on the radio while she prepared the meal, it was only when she sat the pan on the fire that she suddenly paused.

She was… Happy.

When was the last time she had been happy like this, making breakfast? The real question was, when was the last time she had felt like this _on her own_?

 Being happy when Ruby was right beside her, or in her line of sight, was easy. But now? She was alone in the kitchen, singing merrily along as she flipped a half-baked French toast in the pan.

Outside, the sky was clear of clouds, and warm rays of sun pooled in the living room, promising another warm day of everlasting summer.

It only seemed to energise her more.

Staking up the fifth toast on the pile she kept warm in the oven and about to throw another one in the pan, she heard a soft padding behind her, preceded by a rather loud yawn right before Ruby emerged from the hallway, a hand raised in front of her open mouth unhelpfully.

“Good morning,” she greeted her with a warm smile, adoring the way the girl rubbed her eyes sleepily.

“I smell food,” Ruby mumbled, dragging her feet closer to set her chin on her shoulder to look in the pan. “French toast!”

Oddly pleased by the sudden exclamation, she only smiled, casually flipping the toast in the pan as Ruby looped her arms around her, gently hugging her from behind.

“You’re the best,” the girl quietly squealed, kissing her cheek repeatedly and making her laugh.

“Stop it you, or I’m going to burn this one. Could you make coffee?”

“Sure!”

Parting with one last kiss to her cheek, Ruby then went to the machine, humming along with the song of the radio as she searched in the cabinets for the coffee.

Sitting in front of their plate and steaming hot coffee, Ruby with four French toasts and Weiss with two, she was taking a bite while Ruby was pouring a generous amount of syrup over her breakfast, her eyes big and bright as she was practically drooling.

Weiss took hers plain. She had added cinnamon to the recipe, and it was enough for her.

“Do you have plans, today?”

“Depends. Do _you_ have plans today?” Ruby playfully retorted back.

It made her huff, daintily taking another bite of her breakfast and willing to make the girl wait a bit.

“I was thinking of going downtown, to that shop we passed yesterday. The _Hunter’s Den_?”

Ruby’s eyes grew as wide as saucers, shining in a way that betrayed her excitement.

“Then I do have plans today!” The girl cheerfully chirped out, before glancing out the window to the beautiful weather. “But we should get some sun, too…”

“There are plenty of benches or spots of grass near the harbor, where we could just sit, bask in the sun and enjoy each other.”

“The best kind of dates!”

She smiled, locking eyes with Ruby’s shimmering silver.

“They are my favorite, too.”

 

****

 

“Why do you think the moon is shattered?” Ruby mused, her eyes up to the sky as the moon was discreet in the blue of the sky, letting Weiss guide her through the paved streets and the constant flow of people.

Following her line of sight as she sipped her iced coffee, she hummed for a moment.

“There are many theories,” she furrowed her brows thoughtfully, trying to remember everything she had learned on the subject. “Varying from a meteor crashing into it to being shattered when the Grimm erupted from it.”

“But what do you think?”

Taking the time to think about it, she followed when Ruby pulled on her hand gently to lead her away from a group of people coming their way.

“I don’t know,” she finally let out, a bit ashamed at her admittance. “I never really thought about it before. It was… never required.”

Ruby squeezing her hand brought her attention to her, seeing the small, reassuring smile on the girl’s lips.

“Well, I think…”

When her sentence trailed off, Weiss frowned slightly, noticing how Ruby’s head was slowly moving to see over her shoulder.

“Is that… Blake?”

“Blake?” She repeated, turning around and searching through the crowd. “Yang did say she was running errands.”

It took her a moment to find the faunus, for she was following shadow after shadow, her head held low and looking down as she was moving along every walls. But… something was off. As she kept looking at her, she noticed how Blake sometimes leaned against the wall while she walked, well, limped.

“Something’s wrong,” Ruby was already moving towards her, and Weiss followed suit.

As Blake seemed to be about to turn in an alleyway, Ruby reached out, about to call her name, but as soon as her hand wrapped around the faunus’ wrist, something… happened.

Weiss saw with her own eyes Ruby gripping firmly Blake’s wrist. She _saw_ the fabric of Blake’s sleeve move, saw Ruby’s fingers close and settle on something palpable.

But at the _same time_ , Blake’s hand reached from the shadows of the alleyway to harshly pull Ruby’s collar, dragging her out of sight, and the silhouette Ruby was grabbing dissolved into thin air.

Blinking, she snapped her head towards the grunt of pain as Blake shoved Ruby against the wall painfully, bringing her other hand to the younger girl’s neck as a flash of light caught her eye-

Instinctively Weiss stepped closer, firmly grabbing and stopping Blake’s hand as the tip of a blade, pocking out of the faunus’ fingers, stopped mere inches away from Ruby’s pulse.

There was a moment of stillness as Blake’s golden eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit alleyway, until recognition suddenly made her eyes widen.

“Ruby?” The faunus chocked out, pulling away and dropping the knife to the ground, making it clatter loudly.

“What the _hell_ , Blake?!” Weiss almost screeched, bounding over to Ruby to make sure she was truly unharmed.

“No no no,” the faunus was mumbling, her breath wheezing as she kept glancing around, her eyes wide and panicked, her ears flicking constantly. “You can’t be here, Ruby, your sister will have my _head_ -”

Interrupting herself to clutch her stomach with a groan, Blake momentarily closed her eyes, grimacing briefly, before her eyes opened again, her features steeling as her amber eyes fell on Weiss.

“And you, if they see you… We’re both done.”

“What’s happening?” Ruby asked, pushing herself from the wall as her eyes fell to where Blake’s hand was still pressed. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” was the faunus’ instant answer, but serving Blake with a warning glare, reluctantly pulled her hand away, revealing it covered in blood.

As Ruby was about to pull her hand away to inspect the wound more closely, Blake pushed her towards the street, plucking Weiss’ iced coffee from her hands to push it in Ruby’s.

“You have to leave,” the faunus hurriedly pressed her. “They don’t know you, they won’t bother stopping you. You have your car?” She asked, turning to Weiss who offered a short nod. “Wait there. We’ll be there shortly.”

“But-” Weiss started to protest, but Blake’s glare was hard, insistent.

“You said it yourself; The White Fang is after your family for decades. If they see you here, unguarded, you know what will happen.”

“The White Fang?”

“Go, Ruby!” Blake ignored her, pushing the girl again.

“The police-”

“No police! If we’re not there in fifteen minutes, call Yang. She’ll know what to do.”

Hesitant for a second more, her silver eyes turning to Weiss who offered the smallest nod, before scurrying out of the alleyway, turning to her right and walking away at a brisk pace. Turning her attention to Blake, the faunus seemingly scanning every inches of the alleyway it seemed, her ears constantly jerking back and forth, catching every sound around and away from them.

“I knew this would happen,” Blake was muttering under her breath, still searching for something. “I knew I shouldn’t have stayed. It was just a question of time, and now, if I lead them to her…”

A pained breath escaped her lips then, regret in every word she spoke.

“I’m so damn stupid!”

“Blake.”

The faunus finally turned to her, tears and fear filling her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

Snapping her eyes towards the street, Blake’s ears stood tall on her head, her breath catching in her throat.

“They’re close,” she reported, grabbing Weiss by the wrist and pulling her behind her. “We have to hide.”

“Hide? Where?”

“In the shadows.”

Arriving at the end of the alleyway, there was another coming across from them, with the corner of a building in ruins as there were burn marks on the bricks and wood they could see through the holes, and Weiss remembered reading about a fire burning through a few of the buildings, a few weeks ago. The rebuilding kept delaying, pushing back the official date of the constructions.

She was a bit glad for it when they dashed towards it, hearing the sound of footsteps in the alleyway they just left, along with voices echoing along the walls.

Shoving her in the shadow of a corner, Blake then pressed against her, standing tall and trying to cover all the pale colors Weiss was wearing, and again, right in front of her eyes, another Blake formed in the alleyway, before dashing off in a run away from them, and almost right behind them, someone barked orders, the sound of a group of people following Blake’s clone.

Above Blake’s shoulder and through the dark hair of the faunus, she could see them running by, and could also recognise the mask hiding half of their faces with a cold sweat along her spine.

When the thunderous sound of the group stomping away vanished, Weiss relaxed, about to step away, but Blake held her firmly in place, pressing even closer. As she was about to ask why, she noticed a single, lone figure appearing in front of them.

A man, tall and lean, with short, flaming red hair where a pair of short horns poked out, the same white mask sitting on his face and hiding half of his features. Instead of the others, he seemed willing to take his time, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of a blade at his side.

As if feeling her stare, he casually looked over at them, and through the slits of his mask, she could feel his eyes cold and merciless.

“Ah, there you are,” he simply said, turning more towards them.

Blake instantly tensed, trying to take as much space as she could and effectively concealing Weiss behind her.

“Should have known you’d hide in the shadows, after all those years.”

“What do you want?” Blake hissed, causing the man to smirk with a tilt of his head.

“Oh, Blake,” her sighed, falsely disappointed by her question. “I thought it was obvious. I want the same thing as I did when I plunged my blade in your flesh.”

“I’ll never go back, Adam,” Blake firmly let out. “Not alive, not ever.”

The man tilted his head, clicking his tongue with an amused smirk.

“Who said you’d be alive?”

Chuckling at the way Blake’s breath caught in her throat, the man’s attention turned to Weiss, still mostly hidden behind Blake.

“And who is that behind you? A friend? A lover? Both?”

Choosing to stay silent, Blake only tilted her chin high, making it clear she wouldn’t talk, and with a sigh, the man’s hand heaved a bit more on the hilt of the blade, his hand wrapping firmly around the handle.

“Maybe they’ll show themselves when I cut a new hole into your body, hm? What do you say, darling?”

As unmoving as a mountain, the silence on Blake’s side lengthened, making this so-called Adam chuckle, his smile growing on his lips.

“Loyalty, Blake. Yours is a whore that sleeps around.”

Unsheathing his sword slowly, threateningly as he stared at Blake with a cold, ugly smirk still on his lips, and Weiss witnessed as the blood-red blade was drawn, teasingly ghosting over Blake’s form, and she felt the sharp intake of air Blake took when the tip pressed more firmly. Besides that, she stood there, stoic, willing to give her life to protect Weiss.

Still, she wasn’t about to let Blake get injured more than she already was.

“Alright!” She exclaimed, snaking out from her hidden spot behind Blake slowly.

Ignoring the way Blake glared at her, she stepped in front of her, and the man seemed delighted to see her, mockingly bowing exaggeratedly lowly.

“Ah, your Highness! It’s wonderful that I can finally meet you!”

Arching a single eyebrow, she chose to stay silent as the man straightened his back, lowering his blade to his side.

“And how, may I ask, did you two meet? Seems like an unlikely pair. The heiress and the thief.”

“What do you want? Money?” Weiss snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her chin up as she eyed him up and down. “Name your price. You will have it.”

A raucous laugh sounded from the man, echoing loudly off the walls, and as he did she quickly and subtly looked around, searching for something, _anything_ , that could get them out of here. Looking over her shoulder, Blake’s skin was paler than ever, her hand firmly pressed against the wound. Beads of sweat made a few locks stick to her forehead, and it was clear that she would pass out soon.

They had to get out of here.

Eyeing one last time around them as Adam sighed the last of his laughter, she noticed, a few paces from her, a row of bricks that looked loose, the mold around decrepit wall falling in ruin had already released a few to the ground.

She just needed to get there.

“I don’t need your money,” the man retorted back, spitting venom, now. “What I want, however, is the message I will send when I slit your throat in front of all the cameras of the world.”

Fear made her freeze momentarily as the smile Adam sent to her was cruel and cold, but as assured as if she was already bound hand and feet and handed over. A wave of irritation made her eye twitch, suddenly grounding her with crystal clear precision.

“I would like to see you try to take me away,” she let out confidently as she shrugged one shoulder. “My father will find me wherever I am.”

“Because of your phone? Please. We’re not amateurs.”

“Oh, no. Father isn’t an amateur either. He has chipped me.”

That earned both Adam’s and Blake’s attention, but she paid her no mind, entirely focused on the threat in front of them, the man now considering her with attention as his smile dropped.

“You’re bluffing,” he tried nonetheless.

“I wish,” she huffed bitterly. “Now, you will let us go, and I won’t notice Father of this… encounter.”

Snorting loudly, Adam seemed to roll his eyes, and she took this opportunity to step to the side, closer to the wall.

“Besides, he _will_ be notified in a few minutes if I don’t return.”

“As if your father scares me,” the man shook his head lightly. “Scares _us_. I don’t care if your father’s glorified bodyguards come after me. The cause is greater than ever before, and this, _you_ , is just one, single small step in the whole plan. This minor detail is undeserving of my attention.”

Dismissing her presence as if she was a mere nuisance, Adam waved a hand towards her, looking away as he did, and although she felt vaguely offended by this _insult_ , she still took another step to the side, closing in on her target. She just needed him to look away again. And hope he takes her as seriously as a bowl of milk.

“And what kind of situation would require the attention of Adam Taurus, if Weiss Schnee herself is undeserving of such?”

A pleased smile pulled his lips as he looked at her, eyeing her from head to toe.

“Your Highness knows my name!” He exclaimed, sounding delighted. “Although, I’m torn between being impressed or flattered that you remember the name of such a lowly, humble member such as me.”

“‘Humble’ isn’t the first word that comes to mind to describe you,” she heard Blake mutter behind her, seemingly deciding to come back into the conversation.

Bristling, Adam glared at Blake, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade tightly.

Flatter him. Right. Best course of action.

“Of course I have heard of your numerus… exploits,” she continued, honey in every words as he visibly relaxed when Adam turned to her again. “You have been the cause of so many of my father’s near aneurisms, I _had_ to know.”

Bringing a hand to his chest as he bowed slightly, his smile was radiant as the grip he had on his sword loosened again.

“I have to admit, I’m quite impressed at the number of heists you have to your name,” she continued, finding him ridiculous to bend his knee in front of simple flattery. “Even more with the biggest one registered in history, a few years ago.”

“Oh, but I wasn’t alone for this one,” he smiled, venom dripping from his lips as he raised a poisonous glare to Blake. “Right, _darling_?”

Blinking at his sudden change of tone, she chanced a glance over her shoulder towards Blake, seeing the faunus staring hardly at Adam with her ears flush against her scalp, but her silence was more telling than anything she could have said.

“You know you’re prettier when you smile, Blake,” the man chastised her with a sigh before turning his head to the side with a light shake of his head, resting his fists on his hips. “She never could take compli-”

Discreetly having dislodged the brick while Adam’s attention was on Blake, when he looked away she swung as hard as she could, hoping, _praying_ , he wouldn’t dodge at the last second. But as she had hoped, he had dropped his guard, and the brick met his chin in a loud groan coming from Adam, who stumbled back and dropped his sword, definitively stunned.

Rearing her arm back, she grabbed him by the collar, and met his eyes briefly before landing the next hit right against his nose, the hit landing in a sickening crack as she felt drops of warm blood land on her hand.

Going limp as the man fell to the ground, she dropped the brick, realising it had broken in half, and before Blake could say something she grabbed her arm, pulling the faunus behind her as she listed what her next action would be. Two simple things.

Go to the car.

Get help for Blake.

The rest could come later.

Emerging from the alleyway into the crowded street, they managed to travel quickly and seemingly without drawing too much attention, and before long, Weiss realised with a sigh of relief, they saw Ruby, impatiently waiting next to Weiss’ car, her phone already in hand.

As soon as her silver eyes landed on them, stress bled from the girl’s frame as she met them halfway.

“Guys! I was so worried! What happened? Weiss? You have blood on your hands-”

Unlocking the car, Weiss all but shoved Blake towards Ruby, quickly making her way over to the driver’s seat.

“Take care of her. We are going to the nearest hospital.”

“No,” the faunus rasped out, blinking a few times to keep her eyes open. “No hospitals. Take me to Yang.”

“You need medical attention, Blake.”

“It’s too easily traceable.”

“Fine,” she hissed between gritted teeth, finally starting the engine after the third attempt because her hands were shaking so much. “But if you bleed out on my leather seats, I can and _will_ make you pay.”

It managed to make the faunus laugh somehow, if a bit sadly, and Ruby only buckled Blake’s belt and hers silently, keeping Blake’s hand pressed against the faunus’ stomach.

Weiss tried not to let her mind wander. So much had happened in so little time, and the conversation was being replayed in loop, distracting her as she drove a bit too fast on the road.

The White Fang? Blake? The White Fang _and_ Blake? Both of two entirely different entities converging into one, or having been one all along? She had far too many conflicted opinions and emotions on the subject to think about it right now.

All she had to do was drive. Drive home, think later.

“Did he really chip you? Like a pet?” Blake’s voice sounded from the backseats, weak and quiet, but she heard anyway and glanced at the rear mirror, locking for a second with amber eyes there.

“Of course not. It’s illegal.”

“And if it weren’t?”

Returning her attention to the road, she preferred to stay silent.

Just drive. Think later.

Oblivious of the exchange, Ruby was glancing outside, trying to recognise the neighborhood.

Finally arriving in front of the sister’s apartment building, they managed to successfully get Blake out of the car and up the stairs, and Ruby almost kicked open the door of the apartment when they arrived in front of it, Blake’s legs steadily weakening.

“Hey, easy with the door! What’s the ru…” Yang was cheerfully saying, her back to the door at first as she was putting away the groceries, before trailing off as soon as she turned around.

“Yang,” Ruby panted, Blake’s arm around her shoulders as she tried to carry the faunus’ weight. “The table.”

Blinking, the blonde then jumped into action, swiping an arm over the table with little care of what was on it to clear it, before picking Blake right off the floor as if she weighed nothing and carefully laying her on the table, only now noticing the blood.

“What the hell happened?”

“I’m sorry,” Blake started mumbling, chocking up as tears started spilling from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Yang, I’m so sorry…”

Visibly taken aback, Yang furrowed her brows in confusion but still tenderly started wiping the tears away, cupping Blake’s cheek with her left hand.

“What are you sorry about? What happened?”

“They found me,” the faunus finally chocked out. “ _He_ found me.”

A whirlwind of emotions quickly passed over the blonde’s features as she stared at Blake, before she closed her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.

“Let’s patch you up, okay?”

“But Yang-”

“Blake,” the blonde’s voice trembled lightly, but she still offered a small, reassuring smile. “One thing at the time. Right?”

At that moment, Ruby hurriedly made her way into the hallway and disappeared for a moment into the bathroom, and even from her stunned position in the middle of the kitchen, she could hear the girl rummaging there, searching for something. Then, moments later, she returned with a large white box, with a simple, large red cross stamped on the top of it.

“I think she got stabbed,” Ruby reported, opening the box and already searching for something.

Carefully trying to lift the bloodied shirt that stuck to Blake’s skin, Yang grimaced as she examined the wound.

“Doesn’t look super deep, but we’ll have to sew it up.”

Weiss, her feet rooted in place as she watched them move about Blake, ripping the shirt open to make it easier to access it, the sound of their voices gradually muted by cotton in her ears, before there was a white tone ringing in her ears as the events slowly, gradually sunk in.

Trying to organise her thoughts, keep them in lists or boxes that could be checked as they were done, was impossible. Those thoughts were loud, overwhelmingly so, incontrollable and incomprehensible, and she just stood there, like the willing victim she always was.

“Weiss?”

Her name suddenly called so close to her, with a hand gently shaking her shoulder, made her blink with the impression she hadn’t for the last hundred years. The white noise subsiding as she looked up, haggard, she was met with Yang’s hesitant smile, the blonde visibly wondering if she had to call her name again as it was obvious it hadn’t been the first time she had tried to catch her attention.

“Yes?” She breathed, unable to speak louder.

“You mind giving me a hand?”

She took a moment to process the question, before looking down at her hands, regretting it instantly. Her breath painfully caught in her throat at the sight of the blood there.

Instead of waiting for her answer, she felt Yang pushing her closer to the table, Ruby finishing dabbing a now bloodied ball of cotton over the cut to clean it again, a needle and thread already out and waiting to be used.

Yang said something again, but her words went in one ear and right out the other, Weiss’ eyes fixated on her bloodied hands, her breath still caught in her throat as panic rose inside of her, threatening to override her torpor. The blood seemed to weight her down, making her hands shaking, her attention zeroing on the color… oversaturated on her pale skin.

She didn’t understand. She wanted to run, _needed_ to run. But it wasn’t her own blood. It wasn’t a nightmare, either. Or was it?

So why was it standing out so harshly against her skin? Why did everything hurt like it always did? Why couldn’t she _breathe_?

“I’ll do it,” Ruby proposed, her voice strangely muted as she started rubbing a soothing hand across her back and momentarily gaining her attention.

The touch left all too soon as she was gently moved aside, but she couldn’t look away, wondering how she was still standing. With the almost dried blood on her hands, it seemed to flow again suddenly, dripping from her fingers, from her chin, from her _face_.

Bringing a trembling hand to her face, dismayed to find fresh blood on her hand when she brought it back down, she let out a half-choked sob, utterly confused. _Blake_ had been injured. So why was _she_ bleeding?!

Convulsively wiping her face, trying to get rid of the blood, of all this blood standing out so starkly it nearly hurt her eyes when she looked at it, she was desperate to see again, the blood blinding and choking-

A pair of hands grabbed her wrists, one warm, the other cold. Yang.

“Weiss, look at me.”

The sight of blood was traded by a flash of golden hair, before two pools of lilac locked with hers, reassuring, steady, grounding.

“Just look at me. Focus on me.”

“I’m-”

Her voice catching, she flicked her eyes down towards her hands again, but the blonde followed suit.

“Eyes on me, Snow Pea. Breathe.”

“I’m bleeding,” she managed to choke out.

“No, you’re not.”

“I am!” She insisted, her voice trembling as she tried to pull her hands away. “I can feel it, I can’t see-”

“Can you see me?”

Furrowing her brows, the question made her pause for a second. As she blinked the tears away to clear her vision, she could indeed see Yang’s face, the two of them so close that she noticed a small scar just above one blond eyebrow, her right’s, along with the various shades of lavender and lilac in flakes, in the blonde’s irises.

“Yes.”

“Okay. You’re not bleeding, Weiss.”

“But…”

“I’m going to clean your hands, okay? But you keep looking at me, alright?”

Obediently nodding, finding it grounding to keep her eyes locked with Yang’s, she started to breathe again when she felt a warm, wet cloth over her hands, the blonde meticulously cleaning them of every trace of blood that could remain.

Her vision expending again, gradually calmer now, she noticed in the corner of her eye Ruby sighing deeply as she was cutting something, and as she glanced over, also realised that Blake had passed out on the table.

“Hey,” Yang called her attention back and instantly got it. “You got a scratch on your hand. But it’s not bleeding! Although, I wonder why your Aura didn’t heal it up by now,” the blonde finished in a mumble, but still leaned over, rummaging in the white box.

In the residual panic the sight of her bloodied hands had caused, she knew that normally, a comment like this should have made her bristle, should have raised warning flags. But as Yang didn’t press the matter further, instead poking her tongue out as she meticulously applied the disinfectant cream, before covering it with a bandage that ran around her palm, she decided to let it go, decidedly not in the right mindset to follow logical thoughts.

“All done,” Ruby puffed out on her side of the table, finishing cleaning her hands and starting to horde back the supplies into the box.

“All done here too,” Yang reported, squeezing Weiss’ hand gently before lightly touching her chin. “Better?”

“Much,” she mumbled, looking down at her hands, seeing them clean and the bandage perfectly in place. “Um… Thank you.”

Ashamed and embarrassed, she brought her hands closer to her chest before turning away, making a beeline for the bathroom.

Once alone, closing the door behind her and leaning her back against it, she looked down at her hands again, glaring hardly as they were still slightly trembling from earlier. Lifting the hem of the bandage, grimacing a bit as it put pressure on the cut on her hand, she looked at it.

The skin had split open on the side of her hand, moving towards the center of her palm, and she figured it had occurred when she had hit Adam with the brick. With the adrenaline of the moment, she hadn’t felt it.

Still, it made her grit her teeth, leaving the bandage be as she knocked her head against the door behind her, trying to focus her foggy mind.

Turning to the mirror, she noticed a few droplets of blood on her face, and as she looked down on herself, a couple had landed on her clothes, too. Wetting a corner of a cloth with warm water, she made short work of the blood on her skin, and tried to rub off as much as she could on the fabric of her clothes.

A soft rasp against the door made her pause, meeting her stare in the mirror.

“Weiss?”

Ruby’s voice, unmistakable even through the door, made her relax, and she wordlessly leaned over to open the door, leaving it ajar. As she returned her attention to one of the larger spot of dried blood on her shirt, Ruby silently entered the room, closing the door behind her, and moved to sit on the toilet, silent and still for a moment.

The silence kept lengthening as the other girl wore a thoughtful expression on her face, slightly rocking from side to side, and suddenly Weiss couldn’t stand it anymore.

“How is she?” She asked, wondering if Ruby heard.

For a moment, she was sure that Ruby hadn’t listened because she kept her silence for a long moment more.

“She’ll be fine, although she’ll be in pain for a while. Yang went out to buy her painkillers."

Nodding with a hum, she returned her attention on what she was doing, even though she knew she couldn’t save her shirt by now. The weight of Ruby’s gaze on her had never felt so heavy before.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course. It’s just a scratch, Ruby.”

“No, I meant… You kinda spaced out for a moment, back there.”

Finally relenting her assault on her dirty shirt, she let out a long, deep sigh, leaning her hands on the counter, grimacing a bit when the pressure sent a sharp flash of pain in her hand.

“Ruby…”

“I just wanted to say that I understand,” the other girl quickly stepped in before she could turn her down. “It took me years to be able to sit in a car again. Even today, I’m not at ease when I’m in one.”

Observing a second of silence, Ruby shifted in her seat, and Weiss looked over at her, silently wondering where she was getting at as much as she was dreading it.

“Yang used to say that a trauma was like this giant boulder, blocking your path,” Ruby said slowly, her eyes fixated on the wall across from her, locked in a haze. “And I take it by your nightmares and what happened in the kitchen that… _it_ was a trauma, for you.”

“Ruby-” she started, bristling at the therm.

“Let me finish, okay? Please?”

“I am _not_ traumatized,” she hissed, turning her eyes to the mirror and staring hardly when she met her own eyes.

How many times had she said those words? How many time had the simple _sight_ of her weapon caused her pain, made the memories of that fateful, horrible day flood back, overloading her mind like it did half an hour ago?

Still, she hated the label. She remembered hearing her father use it, patronizing, more than once. To mock, to hurt, to belittle, to _humiliate_.

And maybe Ruby understood, because she instantly raised her hands in a peaceful motion, conceding for the moment.

“Alright, whatever you say. My point is, it’s still very much on your mind. But, you know… I don’t know if you’re still waiting for the boulder to move, or if you tried making your way around it to go back to the path, but what worked for me was to keep moving. Not necessarily forward, but just… doing something.”

“I had to learn how to walk again, you know? With the new hip and my knee in pieces, the doctors didn’t know if I’d be able to walk at all. Yang was there with me, every step of the way, even though she had to learn how to function with just one arm. Thinking back, it’s clear to me that most of the time, Yang got out of bed only for me. But we had each other, in the end. I helped her, and she helped me. I guess it was easier to keep moving with someone else.”

“What I’m trying to say is that recovery isn’t a straight line. I remember Yang saying it over and over again, when I wanted to give up. When _she_ wanted to give up. But, you know, when we were moving around the boulder, we helped each other climb over fallen trees, helped each other when we were stuck in bushes, or cheer each other up when we had to backtrack a bit.”

“But I guess you’ve been traveling alone, and I can’t even imagine how hard it must be. And I know I might sound like a broken record, but I’m here for you. I want to help you get back to your path, even if you feel like giving up, even if you feel like turning back, I want to be there with you. You shouldn’t go through all this alone.”

Only when she felt a warm drop of liquid falling on her hand did she realised she was crying, biting her lip to silence any noise that could escape, and it only took a quiet sniffle for Ruby to rise from her seat and envelop her in a warm hug, holding her gently, her breath tickling her ear.

“So, Weiss,” Ruby murmured gently. “Are you okay?”

Somehow, the question made her laugh, a weak, weary thing as she sniffed again, leaning her cheek on the girl’s shoulder.

“No,” she finally admitted, and with it, a great weight lifted from her shoulders. “I’m really not.”

Nodding with a hum, Ruby started rubbing her back soothingly, seemingly satisfied with Weiss’ answer. Decidedly not wanting to pursue on this subject any longer, she cleared her throat discreetly, rubbing her face against Ruby’s shoulder, the fabric of her shirt soft against her face.

“How are you so proficient with injuries?” She asked, referring to how the sisters seemed to know what to do as soon as they knew Blake was hurt.

“Oh, you know,” the other girl barely shrugged, a smile in her voice. “Uncle Qrow uses us as his personal nurses, I guess. He pays us in pizza and good hunting stories.”

“I see…”

“I don’t think we were followed, by the way. Blake should be safe here, for now. We only have to wait until she wakes up, so we can form a plan.”

“Ruby,” she softly called, anticipation making her throat dry. “Did you know that… Blake…”

“Was in trouble? Yeah, kinda. I mean, when Yang gave her a phone under her own name, I didn’t think much of it. That she lived at a friend’s place either. But the library card under Yang’s name? And all those things that Blake didn’t want to do because it could somehow be traced back to her?”

“You did told me that Blake took great pride in the fact that she’s untraceable,” Weiss recalled, feeling a frown forming on her features as she whipped the remnant of tears in her eyes.

“Exactly,” the girl smiled gently. “So, I kinda figured that she was in trouble.”

“You never thought of asking what was going on?”

“Nah.”

A simple shrug followed the short answer, and Weiss took a half step back to better look at her, leaning against the counter in utter disbelief. It only made Ruby laugh softly, and she took place on the toilet, offering a smile and a shrug again.

“I mean, if she wanted to tell me, I wouldn’t mind. But I know she explained everything to Yang, and if that’s enough for Blake, it’s enough for me.”

“But she’s White Fang.”

A beat of silence from Ruby’s side accompanied the information.

“Doesn’t look like she’s with them anymore, though.”

“You don’t understand,” Weiss shook her head, a bitter laugh bubbling up in her throat. “Ruby… She’s a criminal.”

“Hey, it’s not just because she was with them-”

“You really don’t understand!” This time she snapped, her voice hard and effectively making Ruby’s mouth shut with a quiet clack. “Blake is a criminal, a thief, an assassin. The shadow of the White Fang. That’s her, Ruby. Blake Belladonna.”

A long, deep sigh was heard from Ruby as the girl thoughtfully rubbed her thighs a few times, seemingly wracking her brain to find an explanation.

“Well, let’s not throw accusations and-”

“It’s not an accusation. It’s a fact.”

There was a flash of anger in Ruby’s eyes as she abruptly stood, but she closed her eyes, taking in a sharp breath as her hands uncurled from the tight fists they had been. Seeing it made Weiss pause, dimming her growing fury momentarily.

“Look,” the other girl started, her voice barely above a whisper as she kept her eyes closed for a moment more. “Blake has been around for a long while, now. And she has never, _ever_ been nothing more than the Blake you know now. She has always been kind to us, and she’s Yang’s best friend and she’s _my friend_.”

Lowering her eyes to the sink, Weiss pinched her lips, seeing in the corner of her eye Ruby run a hand in her hair with a huff.

“I thought she was your friend, too.”

“I don’t know if she ever was. What if it was all just a trick to capture me?”

The snort Ruby made was so doubtful it made her look up, blinking.

“You’re pulling at straws, Weiss.”

“But-”

“What we are going to do,” Ruby pointedly interrupted, taking a step closer to rest a hand on the doorknob, her body close enough that Weiss could feel her warmth. “Is wait for her to wake up. Then you two are going to chat, so you can see that Blake isn’t all those things you said about her.”

Turning the doorknob, Ruby opened the door and was about to brush past her when she paused, turning infinitely sad eyes her way.

“At least, that she’s not those things anymore,” she let out, locking her eyes with her for a second.

The door clicking shut echoed strangely in her ears as she was left alone in the bathroom, and with a sigh, she let herself slid down against the wall until her knees were pressed against her chest, looping her arms around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so... Told you.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeyyyyy it's me! Still alive! I was just trying to finish Life Support, but then I realised that it might take a while haha so I decided to finish this chapter! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Finally emerging from the bathroom, she slowly, reluctantly made her way back to the kitchen, noticing that Blake was resting on the couch now, while Ruby and Yang were sitting at the table, the blonde visibly more nervous than her sister.

Upon seeing her enter, Ruby looked up, offering a small smile and a soft touch to her hand when she was close enough. Whatever frustration she had in the bathroom, it seemed to have vanished for now.

“I… I think I should go,” Weiss softly let out, squeezing Ruby’s fingers.

It made Ruby instantly frown.

“Are you sure that’s wise? I mean, with the White Fang around…”

“They have always been around, Ruby.”

“Yeah, but never so closely,” Yang countered, running a hand in her hair. “Maybe they’re already waiting at your place.”

The blonde’s eyes drifted to the living room shortly, and Weiss decided to sit in the chair beside Ruby, a bit lost.

“What am I going to do? I have to go home someday.”

As the sisters glanced at each other, an uneasy silence settled over them, but before they could say something, there was a soft groan coming from the living room. Bounding out of her chair, Yang was across the room in the blink of an eye, worry darkening her eyes but a reassuring smile pulled her lips as soon as she laid eyes on Blake.

Her gaze lingering on the blonde for a moment longer, she felt Ruby’s fingers slid between hers, bringing her attention back as she could hear the soft whispers on the other side of the couch.

“Maybe we should stand watch? Make sure nobody followed us here?”

Agreeing in a simple hum, Weiss sat back in her chair with a soft sigh, their joined hand falling on her lap. The silence stretched between them as she traced the edge of Ruby’s finger with her thumb, and only now did she realise how much Ruby was trying to hide her worry, how it made her knee bounce restlessly, and the girl seemed to be juggling with a thousand things on her mind before she turned to her, seemingly about to say something.

But her voice was drowned in a low, ominous and steadily growing rumble, and as the sound grew, everything around them started shaking, the walls, the furniture, the plates and bowls clattering loudly in the cabinets.

Simultaneously, both Ruby and Weiss went to the sliding door leading to the balcony, Ruby pressing her face and hands on the glass as she searched the ground while Weiss, recognising the sound, looked up.

“Airships,” she breathed, making Ruby’s eyes snap up. “Atlas’ military airships.”

Above their heads and sending a large shadow as it passed, the command ship of the fleet flew low in the sky, while the others followed in thigh formation, all converging to the tall, poking from everything in the city it seemed, tower of Beacon, the flags flapping behind with Atlas’ coat of arms standing out while in Vale territory.

“What’s going on?” They heard Yang ask behind them, seemingly trying to keep Blake from escaping the apartment. “Why is Atlas’ military here?”

“Did you know about this?” Ruby asked in a whisper, her eyes glued to the fleet moving about the sky.

“I had no idea,” she let out the same way, remembering vividly there were quite a lot of things that Winter couldn’t talk about her next mission. “Winter only told me that it was classified.”

“They’re circling around Beacon…”

The buzz of a phone vibration made all of the eyes turn to Weiss, who then patted her skirt in search of her phone, before fishing it in her pocket.

Upon seeing the name on the screen, she immediately took the call, returning her eyes to the scene outside.

“Winter, what’s going on?”

On the other side of the line, her sister’s quiet chuckle sounded delighted.

“ _Oh, so you saw my grand entrance?_ ”

“If by ‘grand entrance’ you mean it looks like you’re invading Vale, then yes, I’m looking right at it.”

A vaguely offended scoff answered her, and it was only when she heard a soft, muffled chime behind Winter’s voice that she realised her sister might be in one of those airships.

“ _Please, Weiss. We’re only here to supervise the tournament. Now, when are you free? I would like if we could meet up. I have been worried about you ever since I saw you off, you seemed so heartbroken..._ ”

Suddenly remembering that she wasn’t supposed to be even in the same vicinity as Ruby, she turned to the girl, meeting questioning silver eyes as the girl tilted her head curiously while she gaped, trying to find something to say.

“I-I am fine, thank you, Winter,” she let out almost forcefully, wondering if she should lie or let it be.

Apparently her sister wasn’t about to let go.

“ _Where are you? Maybe I could meet you there? Are you at your apartment?_ ”

“No, I’m… I’m… Um…”

Searching for an answer, Ruby joined in, helpfully pointing out the window.

“I’m outside,” Weiss said, furrowing her brows as she tried to understand what Ruby was mimicking. After the third time the girl silently brought an invisible spoon to her mouth, she finally understood. “Eating soup… Alone,” she added when Ruby pointed at her before jerking both hands to the side decisively.

Realising what Ruby had made her say, she fought against the groan that she nearly slipped out as Ruby was confidently offering a toothy grin along with both her thumbs up, and unsurprisingly, the silence on the other side of the line was telling.

“ _… Are you really alright, Weiss?_ ”

“Yes! I have to go, but I’m going to call you as soon as I’m free! Bye!” She hurriedly said before quickly hanging up.

As soon as she did, she let her head thump against the cool glass of the window, rubbing a hand across her face with a groan.

“She’ll definitely think something’s wrong,” Yang unhelpfully commented behind her, a bit of playfulness in her voice.

This time, her groan was a bit louder, and it made Ruby chuckle lightly.

 

****

 

Weiss kept her post by the sliding door, watching like a hawk at the cars passing by and noting down the kind and color to make sure the same car didn’t pass repeatedly and maybe staked them out while Ruby and Yang took care of Blake and did some chores, trying to get their minds off a bit.

It wasn’t until Ruby pressed a light kiss on her shoulder that she realised she had been there for an hour and a half, and with the girl whispering in her ear that she and Yang would go buy take outs for diner, and after a very pointed look towards the couch then back to her, she was left alone with Blake, the faunus seemingly passed out on the couch with an arm draped over her eyes.

As she could hear the echo of the sisters’ voices in the staircase, her eyes landed on Blake for a moment, observing her and making sure her chest still rose and fell.

The faunus’ now ruined shirt had been thrown in the trashcan and one of Yang’s yellow T-shirts was now covering the bandages, and Blake seemed to be resting peacefully after swallowing two pills of the bottle of painkillers Yang had brought back earlier.

Still not knowing what to think of the situation with Blake, she preferred stalling until the faunus woke up, and she finally tore her eyes from Blake’s form to return outside, her pen still between her fingers.

“Are you going to give me a head start?”

Startled by the croaky yet low voice coming from the couch, she turned suspiciously towards it, narrowing her eyes at Blake’s still hidden face.

“What?”

“Are you going to let me say goodbye before you call the cops, or whoever you want to call.”

Instead of anger or resentment, Blake’s voice sounded… resigned. To hear it shook something inside her, and for a second she was left speechless, torn between being offended Blake thought she would ever call the cops on her and angry because of her affiliation with a criminal organisation.

“I’m not going to call the police, or anyone,” she finally settled to neutral, returning her eyes outside.

She heard Blake shift on the couch, and she saw in the corner of her eyes the arm draped over the faunus’ eyes move to rest on her stomach instead. Another silence enveloped them as she felt Blake’s gaze on her, scanning her form for even the tiniest sign of aggression towards her.

“Why?”

“Because Ruby asked me to be nice,” she answered simply, remembering the pointed look Ruby gave her before leaving.

After a short silence, her answer seemingly being processed in Blake’s foggy mind, she heard the soft huff the faunus let out before settling back on the couch, groaning quietly when it bothered her wound.

“Of course she did,” Blake softly said to herself.

“‘Blake is good at finding people’,” she started, and she didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know Blake was staring at her, now. “‘Blake is super stealthy’, ‘Blake can hijack a plane’ and apparently, Blake can pick locks, because I’m certain I had locked the door a few times that you came over during Ruby and Yang’s travel to Patch.”

The silence behind her was telling and it made her sigh, staring hardly out the window.

“I don’t know why I didn’t think much of it,” she continued, her voice low, almost as if she spoke to herself. “Ruby said that you had a useful set of skills, and I never bothered thinking further than simple curiosity on the matter.”

Biting her lip for a second as she tried to place her memories in order, she took a deep breath in, squeezing the pen in her hand shortly.

“Blake can hijack a plane… Or a train,” she suggested, and the reaction was immediate. Blake was straightening her back to sit on the couch, her eyes entirely on her in undivided attention. “I remember the pictures taken from the security cameras before they were shot down, the night of the heist. I believe you know which one I’m talking about.”

Glancing over her shoulder in time to see Blake’s golden eyes lower to the ground, her lips pinched and dark brows knitted together, she felt a flare of anger sparking in the pit of her stomach, managing to supress it. For now.

“The sight of your semblance confirmed it for me, along with your allegiance to the White Fang. Adam was clearly visible in the pictures. The other accompanying him was… A shadowy figure. The eyes, yellow-golden, was the only thing telling it was, in fact, some _one_ , and not just some _thing_.”

This time, Blake’s ears fell on her head as her golden eyes were leveled up, locking with Weiss’ as she was clutching her stomach, muscles coiled and ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

“You lied to me. Right to my face, you lied to me, and not only me, but to Ruby, too.”

“I never lied to anyone!” Blake instantly bristled, her ears flattening against her scalp. “I told you you wouldn’t want to know the reason my weapon was broken, and you didn’t push. And I didn’t need to explain myself to Ruby.”

“You are with the organisation that is trying to kill me since I was born!” She couldn’t help her rising voice as the grip on her pen tightened, making her grit her teeth.

“I’m not with them anymore! Didn’t you hear me say I wasn’t about to go back with them? Didn’t you see that Adam stabbed me?”

“Could be a trick. I know sometimes, the Fangs go to great length to get what they want.”

“Oh, come on! I could have died, in that alleyway! If you really were sure I was still with them, then why didn’t you simply left me behind and let me bleed to death?”

The remark struck a chord as she felt herself bristling, the pen trembling in her hand as she sharply turned back to the sliding doors, gritting her teeth painfully. There was… a thousand questions swirling in her agitated mind, and she couldn’t settle for even a few of them, until she heard Blake’s voice rose behind her again, this time a lot softer than before.

“Why didn’t you leave me behind?”

Just trying to find the answer to this single question was mind-numbing. Why, indeed, didn’t she left her behind, after knowing that Blake was White Fang?

There were many answers to that question.

But it was a rather simple one that stayed on her mind.

“Why did you try to protect me?” She asked instead of answering.

“Because you’re my friend,” Blake said in a heartbeat, without the trace of doubt. “Just thinking of what they want to do to you…”

“Were you really willing to lay down your life to protect me?”

Reluctantly looking back at Blake, the faunus dipped her head in a solemn and wordless approval, her amber eyes locked with hers.

“But why?” She asked in a breath, not wanting to believe it.

“Because I came to realise that the path you are walking isn’t one you chose, but one you were forced into. Like me.”

Staring at Blake, speechless, a silence settled over them as she tried to make sense of Blake’s answer. So she shook her head, huffing, as she turned her attention outside, feeling so weary suddenly.

“And how were you ‘forced’ into the White Fang, Blake?” She asked, a touch of sarcasm making the faunus’ features harden slightly.

“It didn’t quite feel like it at the time,” Blake let out after a beat, humoring her apparently. “It felt more like I was being saved.”

“Saved? By the Fangs?”

“I was nine years old, Weiss. Alone. It was winter when the mines on Menagerie exploded, and the current High Leader of the Fangs found me on Mistral’s beach, half-frozen and starving, because I was waiting for my parents. When we had to evacuate the island, my dad put me in one of the boats, and they- my mom-”

As Blake interrupted herself after her voice broke, she heard her clear her throat as the faunus took a steadying breath, but when she continued, her voice was wavering audibly, and it made her chest ache just to hear it. She had cried for hours at the pictures; she couldn’t even imagine _being there_.

“There weren’t enough boats for everyone,” Blake continued valiantly. “So the children were sent off first, along with a couple of adults. I don’t remember much of it, but… As the boats were leaving, I was hiding in the ruins of our house, until my dad found me. Then, he carried me in the water to the nearest boat, but I didn’t want to leave them, I was panicking and so my mom… My mom pinky-promised they would take the next boat, so we could be together in Mistral. Mom had never broken any of her promises before.”

“As we were making our way to Mistral, we could see Menagerie ablaze, in the distance… the column of smoke could even be seen from Mistral’s coast. As soon as the boat touched sand, I jumped off, sat on the beach and waited as a few of them turned back, hoping there were still a few survivors. And I waited. And waited. For hours, for days, because Mom promised we would be together. But the boats never returned.”

There was a short silence then as she looked over her shoulder to see Blake, her eyes closed, her expression crumbling as she could tell the faunus was on the verge of tears, but Blake cleared her throat again, quickly wetting her lips.

“Sienna Khan, at the time new High Leader in my dad’s absence, found me on the beach. She brought me back, to their temporary HQ, and I realised I wasn’t the only one she had brought back. We were dozens and dozens of orphans, much more without home, we had nothing because we didn’t have time to bring anything with us when we left.”

“The first couple of heists Sienna planned were to feed us. She always said that we have to take care of our own, and it meant for us to have a roof over our heads, for us to be warm, for us to be fed. The White Fang, after the destruction of Menagerie, was only about surviving.”

“She gave us a new family, a new home,” Blake pursued, and her voice grew sharp, her dark eyebrows drawn together as her eyes opened but stayed at the ground. “She educated us, gave us a purpose. We had to stick together, more than ever before.”

“What I didn’t realise, is that, over the years, Sienna wanted us to work for her, because we owed her. We had to repay the time and money spent on each of us for our education by being functional and active members of the Fangs. And at the time I started my training, I was so glad. I knew all the orphans were. We’d get a chance to get revenge.”

“Revenge?” Weiss dared interrupt quietly, a bit confused.

At that, Blake’s golden eyes snapped up at her, the pupils of her eyes, like a cat’s, constricting suddenly in thin slits as the ears on top of her head jerked back, telling of her anger.

“What do you think it meant, for us, when the SDC – no, _humans_ – destroyed Menagerie? Our home, home to all faunus, the only place where no human dared to set foot? The only place we could live free, free of the judgment, free of the harassment, free in our differences.”

“It was an accident,” she countered weakly, making Blake narrow her eyes.

“Was it really?” The faunus almost hissed, her hands curling into tight fists on her lap. “It was an act of war. One that Sienna was all too willing to respond to.”

Holding Blake’s gaze for a moment, she could actually see when the faunus calmed down, her pupils dilating to their usual, near circle form as her golden eyes returned to the floor, exhaling through her nose quietly. As she could see Blake’s hands relaxing on her lap, Weiss lowered her eyes to the floor too, her heart sinking in her chest with dread.

“So…” She quietly let out, still earning Blake’s attention. “Are all the things I heard about ‘the shadow of the White Fang’ true, then?”

Blinking tiredly, Blake looked up after a beat.

“Some,” the faunus let out, looking away in shame. “We were outnumbered, always were. The humans already think we are some bloodlust beasts or even soulless monsters. Using rumors to strike fear in them before strikes and heists only proves useful, causing them to run or freeze when face-to-face. But I never could… kill.”

“Never?”

Somehow, even _Weiss_ couldn’t believe it.

“Never,” Blake assured. “Out on my first mission, when I was face-to-face with one of the guards, I could see how terrified he was. He was already halfway from passing out, and as I raised my blade up, he stared at me, barely moving to protect himself. So I just… knocked him out. And I realised ‘this’ wasn’t the White Fang my dad has been hoping for. Because before Sienna, my dad was High Leader.”

“The peaceful protests,” Weiss started, suddenly understanding.

“My dad,” Blake answered with a short nod, the ghost of a smile on her lips. “Although, I wonder what he’d think if he could see me, now. My mom, too.”

Shaking her head, the faunus shook the thought aside, returning to the subject at hand.

“But I still had my debt to pay,” Blake continued then. “Although, my true calling was stealth missions. Scouting, tracking, sabotaging… whatever mission that needed something done discreetly, I’d do it. I could even track someone all across Remnant. I did it, once.”

“But I felt like a bloodhound, used to find the prey so the hunter could better finish it. And I was the best. It made me sick whenever I came back from those missions. But I could always tell myself that those targets were all but innocent. Until they weren’t.”

“It was during the train heist,” Blake pointed as her briefly, dipping her head slightly. “With Adam. We were supposed to set charges so the wagons would disconnect from each other and destroy the rest of the Atlesian Knights for us, I mean, we were only the two of us… But when I realised Adam was willing to kill the crew members along with it, I realised… that I had to leave. Now. Before… I lost myself. But Adam didn’t let me. Him, and Sienna… they still needed their bloodhound.”

“Was it when your weapon was broken?” Weiss asked quietly.

Nodding, Blake swallowed, her eyes glazed over now.

“Adam knew the weakness in it, because I kept telling him how I should fix that,” the faunus huffed bitterly, slightly shaking her head. “With the force of the blow, I was thrown off the train, and without my weapon to help me land… it was night when I woke up. My entire body was in pain. I knew my ribs were fractured, and my leg was broken, I still wonder if I had a concussion, and my Aura was barely managing to heal my ribs.”

“I wanted to stay there and die,” Blake bluntly said, making her blink. “What was the point anyway? Once again, I had lost everything. I had nothing, I was all alone, with only the clothes on my back. I wasn’t strong enough, nor in the shape, to do anything else. But fate had other plans for me, I guess. Someone found me, at the base of the cliff. Another faunus, monkey. The first thing I thought when I looked him in the eyes was that he had the sky in them.”

“Surprisingly, he helped me, a complete stranger. Helped me to have faith again, to trust again. He never asked questions. He somehow reminds me of Ruby, but then again, they’re like, best buds by now,” Blake added with a soft smile. “I even got angry at him, because I couldn’t understand why he would go out of his way to help me like this. But he simply said that I looked like I needed a break, and a friend. Apparently it was enough for him.”

“From that moment, I simply wanted to live my life by taking care of the people I love. I knew Adam would want to finish the job, but, while I could, I just… wanted some peace. For a while. And… it’s been two years now, since I met Yang. They were the best years of my life. So…”

Pausing, the faunus let out a deep sigh, silent and lost in thoughts for a long moment, and the mask that had hid her features up until now crumbled, resigned sadness sculpting every line of her face.

“So… If I’m to lose everything again, just give me the time to say goodbye, this time,” Blake murmured, her ears low on her head and her shoulders slouched. “Because I’m just so tired of running.”

A long silence settled over them as she registered and processed Blake’s story, still reeling from all the information.

“You might have a reason, but you were still involved in some of the killings,” Weiss finally let out quietly, and instantly Blake’s expression hardened. “You’re not innocent in this.”

“But they were owners of mines who were prospering from faunus slavery!” The faunus’ voice rose, sharp, her ears pulling back. “They weren’t innocent! Just the same way you aren’t!”

“What does it have to do with me?” Weiss scoffed, bristling at how quickly Blake’s anger had come back. “I did nothing wrong!”

It made the faunus tilt her head to the side, her golden stare suddenly calculating and cold as her ears fell flat on her head again, her pupils returning to thin slits in her anger.

“Indeed, you did nothing,” Blake nodded, her voice steady as the faunus suddenly stood. “You did nothing even if you knew about the mines. About Menagerie. You’re still doing nothing about it, when _your_ company is killing countless innocents. People who are just trying to survive, after _your_ company destroyed their home!”

“Blake-”

“I may have let Adam kill people, but my conscience is clear,” Blake continued, merciless as she took a step closer, her features contorted in anger. “How about yours?”

“You know that’s my father’s doing,” she breathed, feeling the same crippling guilt gnaw at her as she had felt when she found out about Menagerie, about the mines. “I did nothing wrong.”

“But one day the company will go to you, and when it happens, it’ll be on _you_. Just the same way you’re pinning every wrong of the White Fang on me.”

On that the door opened, and Ruby came in with a bag in her hands, chuckling at something Yang had said as the smell of food reached her nose, making her stomach churn as her eyes were still locked with Blake’s.

“So who’s the murderer now?” The faunus finished in a murmur, making sure the sisters hadn’t heard.

Seemingly noticing only now that Blake was standing, Yang dropped everything she was carrying on the table before hurriedly making her way into the living room, grabbing Blake firmly by the elbow.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be standing,” the blonde was saying, manoeuvring her so the faunus would settle back on the couch.

With her attention zeroed on Blake’s eyes, the soft touch on her shoulder made her jump and drop the pen and notepad she was clutching in her hands, realising that Ruby was standing beside her with a worried frown on her face.

“I have to go,” Weiss managed to let out as her throat was constricted, jerking away from Ruby and making a beeline for the door.

“What?” Ruby almost choked out before following suit. “Weiss, you can’t, we still don’t know if-”

“I don’t care.”

Grabbing her purse, she was about to reach the doorknob when the other girl rushed in front of her, leaning her back against the door and effectively blocking her exit. Finally rising her eyes up to Ruby, she swallowed, trying as hard as she could to hold the tears that wanted to spill from her eyes in a silent plea for her girlfriend. Ruby, upon seeing that, relaxed a bit, offering a small, sympathetic smile as she reached to squeeze her hand.

“If you want to be alone, you can use my room. You may not care if they take you, but I do. Okay?”

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she glanced to the side, trying to ignore Ruby’s understanding silver eyes, always so accepting and loving, but right now… Right now she truly wanted to be left alone. And so, with a short, crisp nod, she abandoned her purse on the table again, and turned in the hallway leading to Ruby’s bedroom, before silently closing the door behind her.

 

****

 

To her credit, Ruby left her alone for two hours and a half. Curled up on Ruby’s bed, buried under the blankets and wrapped in the girl’s scent, Weiss had hid there to release her tears, and it was a lot calmer now as she stared at the wall that her attention was brought back by a quiet, discreet knock at the door.

Not waiting for an answer, probably because she knew there wouldn’t be, Ruby poked her head inside slowly, ready to leave if Weiss wanted her to.

“Hey,” was the only thing the girl said, testing the waters.

From the depths of the blankets, she snaked an arm out and towards Ruby wordlessly, and the girl took her cue right away as she entered promptly, closing the door behind her. Taking her hand and settling behind her, Ruby laced their fingers together as she wrapped an arm around her waist, tucking her nose under Weiss’ ear as she was pressed snuggly against her back, and for a moment, they stayed silent, simply enjoying the other’s presence.

“Am I a horrible person?” Weiss heard herself ask, her voice muffled against the pillow.

“What?” Ruby instantly exclaimed, promptly raising on her elbow to better look at her. “No!” Then, after a short pause, “Did Blake say you were?”

“Not in those words.”

The younger girl simply sighed, returning to her previous position, and she didn’t have to look back to know there was an unpleased frown on Ruby’s face as she snuggled closer to her.

“I should have told Blake to be nice, too,” Ruby grumbled in her ear.

She wanted to laugh. Suddenly, her life just felt… overwhelming. She wasn’t even supposed to be here, for crying out loud! If she had listened to her father, if she had pushed Ruby back at the airport, nothing would have happened.

Except that Blake might have died, if she hadn’t been there.

She didn’t quite know how she felt about that. She was so emotionally exhausted, just leaving the comfort of Ruby’s room felt above her capacities.

“Why didn’t I leave Blake behind?”

“In the alley? Does this question really need to be asked?” Ruby huffed, seemingly oblivious of her gloomy mood. “Because she’s your friend, duh!”

It was so simple, to Ruby. Then again, it always was. Her girlfriend had a way to make things easy, and simple. To take a situation that felt so much bigger than her and folded it in a single picture, rending it to its simplest form. In Ruby’s eyes, the world unraveled in front of her in simple threads that she could pull to take actions.

But despite the fact that Weiss could see all the knots forming along the way, Ruby always managed to untangle it before it could be unsolvable.

She wished she could see life the way Ruby did. More than ever, she wished she could.

But she guessed that someone had to see the knots coming, at some points.

As she was about to say something, the door opened slowly, and both her and Ruby looked over to see who it was. When Yang poked her head inside, her eyes falling on them, her worried expression softening in a smile as she entered with a plate filled with what looked like noodles of some kind, she relaxed.

“Hey there,” the blonde greeted, before gesturing for the plate she was carrying. “Weiss, you have to eat something. I heated it up for you.”

“I’m not hungry,” she muttered, returning under the fort of blankets, safe and reassuring.

Her answer caused the sisters to sigh in synch, and she heard the door closing, but the quiet padding she heard told that Yang was still in the room as she heard the blonde set the plate on the nightstand.

The bed dipped under Yang’s weight as the blonde sat down on the edge of it, and Ruby instantly shifted, turning around to curl around her sister like a demanding kitten. It only made the oldest chuckle softly as, poking her head out from under the blankets in quiet dismay at Ruby’s distance, she could see Yang gently petting Ruby’s head with all the affection of the world in her eyes.

It made her realise that Ruby needed as much comfort as her, right now. And the fact that she had been accepting all of her girlfriend’s comfort and support without returning it made her feel even more miserable than she already was.

“I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but, ah…” Yang started, furrowing her brows as she was smoothing one of Ruby’s eyebrow with her thumb, her lilac eyes on her sister. “Blake… told me what she said to you. And, since you probably don’t want to see her, she asked me to tell you that she’s sorry. She regrets everything she said. She said that she knows you have nothing to do with this, and that she shouldn’t have said that. She was upset and-”

“I don’t care.”

Effectively earning the attention of the two others, she returned to her hidden spot, feeling the scowl on her face as if it was burning.

“For the moment, Blake is the least of my worries.”

A silence accompanied her affirmation, and she felt Yang shift with a sigh.

“I guess that’s better than nothing,” the blonde mumbled under her breath.

When the door closed behind Yang, she felt Ruby turn to her, staring at her for a second.

“Do you really don’t care?” The girl asked quietly, gently pushing the blankets away.

But she rolled over, pressing against Ruby and holding her, tucking the girl’s head under her chin like she knew Ruby liked.

“For the moment. I don’t have the energy to deal with everything at the same time.”

It only made the girl hum in her arms, and she felt Ruby nuzzled the hollow of her throat, the gesture so familiar by now.

“Are _you_ okay?” Weiss asked, wondering why she hadn’t before and cursing herself for being so selfish.

It earned her a soft laugh, if a bit bitter, but Ruby kept nuzzling her neck, her breath warm against her skin and tickling a few strands of hair there.

“Much like you, I’m a bit overwhelmed,” the girl murmured in the crook of her neck, pressing closer. “But now is not the time to panic. We have to stick together so we can get out of this mess.”

“But it doesn’t even concern you or Yang,” she tried to counter.

“It concerns you _and_ Blake. Of course we’re involved!”

The threads. Always so simple.

She took a deep, steadying breath as she closed her eyes, bringing a hand up to smooth back Ruby’s hair so she could press a kiss on her forehead, and she could tell Ruby relaxed when she did, closing her eyes too.

“Tell me what I can do for you,” she murmured against her skin, knowing she would even fetch the moon and every bits of it if Ruby ever asked for them.

There was a short moment as Ruby seemed to mule over the question, her dark eyebrows furrowing slightly.

“Eat a bit and hold me?”

It made her huff, but she still nodded, kissing Ruby’s forehead again at the simple demands.

“Of course. Whatever you need, Ruby.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't know how many chapters this will be, but... i know it's going to be, like, a handful. I guess.
> 
> But I'm not very good at guessing chapters, soooooo......
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway I hope you'll enjoy it!

Jerking awake yet again, she blinked glassily at the wall, trying to remember where she was because she definitely didn’t have red walls in her bedroom-

The events of the day before flooded back in her mind, and she closed her eyes, relaxing when she remembered she was cuddling with Ruby. She must have fallen asleep at some point.

Still feeling a warm presence beside her but scowling at far away it felt, she rolled over, snuggling closer to the form and pressing her head against Ruby’s warm chest to hear her heart beat… until she realised the scent wasn’t Ruby’s.

“Um,” a definitely much lower voice than Ruby’s sounded, embarrassed. “Well, this is awkward.”

Snapping her eyes wide open as she pushed herself away, it managed to make the person fall over the edge of the bed, landing with a loud thump and earning a long, pained groan. Scurrying over to look down from the bed, she blinked in disbelief when she saw Blake on the floor, clutching her bandages pocking from the yellow shirt she was wearing, trying as best she could to muffle her pain with her eyes closed tightly.

“What the hell are you doing here, Blake?” She snapped, anger and embarrassment mixing in her voice, before she had the presence of mind to glance down at where Blake’s hand was clutched over her stomach. “…Are you okay?”

Waving a hand to dismiss her concern, Blake merely grimaced, panting a bit.

“I’ve been worst.”

As the faunus seemed content to lay on the floor, keeping her eyes closed as she did, Weiss sat up, glancing around and searching for her girlfriend.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Ruby?”

“She and Yang went out to scout your apartment,” Blake answered with a pained breath, letting out a long exhale as she lightly rubbed her bandages. “Ruby didn’t want you to wake up alone, so she asked me to stay with you. I tried to stay as far from you as I could, I was already on the edge of the bed when you-”

“My apartment?” She interrupted, ignoring the blush that was climbing up her face.

Nodding, Blake finally opened her eyes, turning them to her.

“They want to know if someone is watching your place.”

Grumbling under her breath, she turned from Blake, returning under the covers and staring at the wall, as far away from the edge of the bed as she could. She heard the wry laugh Blake let out, a bit wheezing now.

“Hey, I know,” the faunus let out, understanding her displeasure. “I tried to tell Ruby that I was the last person you’d want to see first thing in the morning, but… She can be even more stubborn than Yang. And she knows damn well I can’t refuse her anything when she pulls those damn wet, puppy-dog eyes.”

A long sigh resonated then, resigned.

“I was doomed from the start.”

It made her huff, her lips pulling in a smile against her better judgment, knowing the feeling entirely. But after a long silence, when Blake was still resting on the floor, it made her furrow her brows as she looked over her shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to get back on the bed?”

“Nope. I don’t want you pushing me off again.”

“And why would I do that?” She retorted dryly, bristling at the accusation.

“Because I wanted to say-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” she interrupted, draping the blankets over her head and effectively making Blake sigh.

“That’s why I’m not on the bed,” the faunus commented tiredly. “Anyways, I just… I’m sorry. I guess that was why Ruby insisted so much for me to stay with you. But I just wanted you to know, whatever happens, whatever you decide to do… I get it. And I don’t blame you. I mean, I _am_ a criminal. I know that one day, my time will come.”

She chose to stay quiet, feeling the scowl on her face hardening with every word Blake said, and even though the faunus acted like she was going to be arrested in the next minute, there was a serene strength with every word, telling of Blake’s acknowledgment of her situation.

“And… I also wanted to tell you that giving you a chance was the best bet I’ve ever taken,” the faunus continued, her voice lowering as she did. “You are the greatest surprise I’ve ever had. The friendship we developed was _so_ worth it. I never thought a Schnee could be so… generous and kind. And funny.”

It made her snort quietly as she turned around on the bed, the ghost of a smile appearing on her lips despite the entire situation.

“You’re not so bad yourself, for a faunus.”

She heard the amused huff Blake let out, but before any of them could add something else, a loud buzz was heard, and she saw Blake’s hand poking from the edge of the mattress to pat the nightstand, blindly searching for her phone apparently, and without Blake seeing Weiss reached over, pushing the device into Blake’s waiting hand.

Finally getting hold of what she was searching for, Blake narrowed her eyes as she unlocked the screen, and Weiss returned to her previous spot, huddled against the wall under the pile of blankets Ruby seemed driven into sleeping with. before long, she heard the long, satisfied hum the faunus let out, and after hearing a grunt of effort, one tufted ear appeared from the edge of the bed, then the faunus’ face.

“The coast is clear,” Blake informed. “No one is watching over your place. So you can go home if you want.”

“Then I might do that,” she let out in a breath, her shoulders relaxing.

“Oh, by the way,” the faunus reached a hand to the nightstand, finding Weiss’ phone before extending it to her. “Someone tried to call you.”

Her eyes widening instantly, Weiss snatched her phone from Blake’s fingers to check her call logs, and a wave of relief washed over her when she realised it wasn’t her father, but she felt her anxiety spike when she saw Winter’s name, twice. She could almost feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she could only imagine how Winter was worried beyond words, after two missed calls.

Abruptly sitting up as she stared at her phone, she was wondering if she should call her sister to tell her that she was fine when her phone buzzed shortly in her hand, and she blinked as she saw Yang had sent her a message.

Tapping on it to open it, she raised a single eyebrow as she read it.

|Hey SP! In case Blakey hadn’t told you, the coast is clear! We’re making one last round to make absolutely sure, so if you want to come over, it’s all good! And you should. Rubble’s been all mopey because she couldn’t kiss you all morning, bleurh|

Rolling her eyes at the end of the message, her attention was brought back to her phone when it buzzed again, receiving another message from Yang.

|Also, I cleaned the blood in your car. I didn’t want what happened yesterday to do an encore today.|

It made her smile fondly, wondering why the blonde even took the time and energy to do this. Yang was just so considerate with all of them. It made her brush her fingers over the bandage covering her hand, wondering why someone like her was almost showered by affection and care. Not knowing how to best express the amount of her gratitude, Weiss replied a short ‘thank you’ before moving to the edge of the bed, suddenly impatient to get moving. The prospect of a hug from Ruby, or even better, a kiss from her was enough to shake her into motion, and she even stepped over Blake to get to her clothes, abandoning her phone on the nightstand again.

The faunus, taking her cue, stood to leave, but as she was closing the door behind her Weiss paused to look up, hesitant.

“Blake?”

Instantly the dark head poked inside the room again, her golden eyes returning to her with attention.

“Will you be alright alone?”

The question made the faunus smile after she huffed, but Blake’s features softened as she nodded.

“Of course. Besides, I won’t be alone for long.”

Closing the door behind her, Blake left her alone, and she lowered her eyes to her hands that were holding her shirt in front of her, inspecting the specs of blood on it.

It would do. She was only going home, anyway.

 

****

 

When she parked her car in the underground garage, she was a bit nervous before getting out, carefully looking around and making sure she was alone, and when she did get out, she had her phone held tightly in her hand, one tap away from calling the police… or Ruby.

Still, as she was entering the building to take the elevator, she came across two very familiar sisters, who smiled widely upon recognition.

“Weiss!” Ruby exclaimed, already throwing her arms around her to hug her tightly, her cheek pressed against the other girl’s.

Still, she hugged her girlfriend tightly, glad to be with her again. Gods, she thought, internally shaking her head, what would she do without Ruby now? She could barely spend a few hours without her…

Yang wrapped her arms around both of them to hug them gently, resting her cheek on top of Ruby’s head.

“How are you today?” The blonde asked gently, pulling away after one last squeeze, her lilac eyes filled with soft concern.

“I’m fine,” she assured, seeing both sisters relax as she did and it made her smile. “I’m desperate to change into fresh clothes, though.”

Instantly, both lilac and silver eyes glanced down at the drops of dried blood on her shirt, the color paler now after all the time passed scrubbing it, and in synch both Ruby and Yang hummed with a solemn nod.

They absolutely could _never_ deny being sisters, those two.

“Well, gotta go,” the blonde said as she looked up, the solemn expression traded with a smile. “Blake shouldn’t stay alone too long. You comin’, Rubies?”

Yang was already through half a stride when she spoke over her shoulder, and it only made Ruby wrap her arms around Weiss to possessively hold her, a comical pout on the younger sister’s face.

“I just got Weiss back and you want me to leave?” Ruby complained in a whiny voice.

It made her huff as she felt Ruby tightening the hold on her, and somewhere in her mind, a soft voice told her that she wasn’t the only one being clingy. Yang stopped then, turning to them with a grimace.

“Boo! Stop being so disgustingly in love!”

Ruby, giggling at her sister’s teasing, started peppering Weiss’ cheek of kisses, and she tried to school her features to keep the straightest face she could as she stared at Yang dead in the eye, biting the inside of her cheek to not smile when the blonde rolled her eyes all the way across Remnant.

“Fine, you proved your point, spare me,” Yang grumbled playfully, resting her hands on her hips as her expression grew more serious. “But remember, if there’s anything-”

“I call you, promise!” Ruby finished for her, perking up and almost bouncing on her feet at Yang’s reluctant agreement.

“You better,” the blonde teasingly grumbled again before stepping closer to ruffle her sister’s hair, then turned to her with a wink, before pinching her cheek lightly. “Be careful, you two.”

“Yes, of course,” Weiss dutifully dipped her head, but couldn’t help a teasing smile pulling her lips. “Unless one of my shirts decides to wrestle with me, I doubt we will get into trouble.”

It made Yang narrow her eyes slightly but the blonde merely pulled her tongue at her, then left after a wave. Ruby, reluctantly releasing Weiss from her embrace, still held her hand closely, making their hands sway between them as she lead to girl to the elevator.

“Are you sure you want to stay?” Weiss still asked, just to be sure. “After what happened yesterday, I know Yang will be worried all day for you.”

It merely made Ruby shrug, the same stupidly happy grin stamped on her lips as the girl pressed the button to call the elevator.

“She’ll be fine. If she was really worried, she wouldn’t have agreed for me to stay.”

Finally, the doors slid open and they stepped inside, Ruby, again, pressing the button for Weiss’ floor.

“Alright,” she sighed, the doors shutting, and the elevator slightly jumped as it started its climb up. “But I don’t plan much for today. Maybe a good read will… get my mind off things a bit.”

“Oh!” Ruby perked up beside her, excitedly raising a finger in the air. “We could check the teams participating to the Vytal Tournament! I always did this with Yang, and it’s cool to see the same teams participating four years in a row!”

“We can see it early?” She asked, a bit surprised.

“Yeah! On the website, there’s even a little showcase of the teams and their weapons!”

When Ruby turned to her, excitedly waiting for her answer, the girl’s eyes were shining bright as Ruby was almost vibrating in place with boundless energy, and it made her smile, remembering how carried away Ruby had been in the _Hunter’s den_. And making Ruby happy made her happy.

“Okay,” she simply let out, making Ruby pump a victorious fist in the air.

“You’ll see, it’s super cool!” The younger girl was blabbering excitedly beside her. “We can also see each participant’s background, like I know that this year, there’s this girl, a first year, that has won like so many competitions in Mistral and maybe you know her? She was doing ads with those cereals, the Pumpkin Pete, and she’s really cool! She has a spear that is also a rifle and a shield that she can throw and I can’t remember her name, but she’s super badass!”

Blinking at the flow of words, she tried to remember if she had ever came across those cereals. Although, if it was a brand that used sugar as its first ingredients, it was sure she had never bought it. But the numerous competitions and the description of the weapons, on the other hand…

“Is it Pyrrha Nikos?” She tried, the name coming to mind after a thoughtful moment.

The reaction was immediate as Ruby nearly jumped beside her, the hold on her hand that much tighter.

“Yes! You know her?”

“I know _of_ her,” she corrected playfully when she saw the eyes full of stars waiting for her answer. “Her exploits are remarkable, and when I heard she was going to enter Beacon at the same time as me…”

She trailed off when she remembered how she had gushed over the possibility of being paired up with such an illustrious fighter to Winter, her older sister merely smiling happily as she was telling her sister how a formidable team they would make… And then three days later, her father set the match that turned her world upside down.

She was brought back to reality when the soft chime rang in the cabin of the elevator, indicating they were on the right floor, before the doors slid open, and she lightly tugged on Ruby’s hand as she exited it.

“Let’s just say the plans I had were thrown out the window,” she tried to joke.

As soon as they were out of the elevator, Ruby made them stop, and in the silence that followed the sliding doors closed as the elevator was called somewhere else. But Ruby was looking at her with all the seriousness of the world, and it made her guts twist in apprehension, already knowing what her girlfriend was about to say.

“Why didn’t you leave, Weiss?” Ruby asked softly, the usual anger this subject brought now traded by infinite sadness. “Nothing good holds you back to your father. So why don’t you leave, and become a Huntress?”

As she stared at her girlfriend, seeing her beautiful silver eyes confused but earnest, it told her that Ruby only wanted to know. Wanted to understand why she was staying in the toxic clutch of her father. It made her heart pull painfully in her chest, to see Ruby so desperate to understand her.

So… maybe it was time to tell her. Maybe, together, they could find… a solution of sorts. Although, hoping too much only to see it chatter afterwards would certainly destroy the last parts of her that still dared hoping.

“I can’t,” she chose to let out, looking away as she lightly pulled on Ruby’s hand to lead them to her apartment’s door.

“Yes you can!” Ruby stubbornly countered, her features contorting in irritation. “You told me you stashed some money, so this won’t be a problem-”

“No, Ruby, I _can’t_ ,” she insisted, feeling her heart pounding in her chest as she knew she was going to share her secret. “I can’t become a Huntress.”

“But it’s your dream!” The other girl exclaimed, exasperated.

“I physically can’t, Ruby.”

At that, her girlfriend paused, the rising anger she could see in her silver eyes turning to confusion as Ruby furrowed her brows in worry, quickly looking her over.

“Why? Is it because you’re afraid of blood?”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Weiss paused then, using her free and injured hand to grab her keys from her purse, staring at the bandages on her hand for a second before inserting the key in the hole.

“I’m not afraid of blood,” she let out, before shrugging one shoulder slightly. “Not really. It’s… when my hands are covered in it, it reminds me of my failure. And… it reminds me of what happened _after_.”

As she opened the door to her apartment, moving to get inside, Ruby stopped her again, staring at her with all the seriousness of the world again.

“What happened after?” The other girl breathed, squeezing her hand gently.

She smiled, sadly. She only wanted to keep this to herself, but if it could make Ruby understand that really, it wasn’t as simply as she thought, then she was willing to share it with Ruby.

Maybe.

“This isn’t a conversation I want to have in the hallway,” she settled on saying, her voice quiet and soft but resigned as she squeezed Ruby’s hand gently.

Ruby stared at her for a moment, trying to search the answer in her eyes, and as the girl opened her mouth to speak, it wasn’t her voice that sounded, echoing against the walls and so familiar as the soft chime of the elevator rang, the doors sliding open.

“Weiss Victoria Schnee!”

The voice was thundering, and she instinctively shrunk under it, hiding her head between her shoulders as she turned to the person staring at her from the opened doors of the elevator.

Although, there was only one person in the whole wide world who ever used her full name when angry enough.

Winter Schnee was scowling at her, her blue eyes electric in her obvious anger as she stomped closer, but her angered eyes turned and fell on Ruby, who stared at the scene with eyes as wide as saucers, still very obviously holding Weiss’ hand. And it was on their joined hands that Winter’s eyes fell then, before looking up at Ruby again, her expression shifting as the older sister turned to her.

“Are you _kidding_ me?” Her sister grounded out as she made her way closer.

“I can explain!” Weiss hurriedly placed herself in front of Ruby, trying, if a bit late, to shield her girlfriend behind her.

“You better hope so, seeing as you are not supposed to be seeing her again,” Winter growled again.

“I… love her,” was the only reason she could think of at the moment, and she felt the light touch of Ruby’s hand against her back. “I… I couldn’t stay away,” she finished somewhat lamely, already knowing it wasn’t something their father would ever understand.

It caused Winter to pause, staring at her almost with shocked eyes, before pulling her into her arms to hold her tightly, crushingly so.

There was a moment of stillness as her face was shoved right into Winter’s shoulder, but her sister’s arms were locked around her, and she hesitantly looped her arms around her sister’s waist, not knowing if Winter was really angry or relieved.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” Her sister murmured in her ear, giving one last squeeze before pulling away. “I waited here all evening yesterday but you never came home! And you weren’t answering your phone, I thought something happened! I thought… I was about to send my men to find you!”

Holding her at arm’s length, Winter looked her up and down, making sure she was safe and sound, until her eyes caught the bandage on her hand, instantly going to take it.

“You’re hurt,” Winter’s eyes widened as her gloved fingers hovered over the bandage. “And there is blood on your shirt.”

“It’s okay,” she quickly reassured her sister, earning the worried blue eyes back to her. “It will heal.”

Winter stayed there, her eyes locked with hers wordlessly, until she straightened her back with a slight clear of her throat, but before she could add something else her sister flicked her forehead, hard enough for it to hurt.

“Ouch!” She complained, bringing a hand to rub the abused spot.

“This is for worrying me sick,” her sister only let out imperiously, arching a single eyebrow and effectively making her shoulders slouch. Then, Winter turned to Ruby, a shockingly genuine smile pulling her lips as she offered her hand to the girl who was still staring at them. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rose. I heard so many things about you.”

Ruby, apparently not knowing what to do, glanced back at Weiss for a second before gingerly taking Winter’s offered hand, shaking it firmly.

“I heard many things about you, too! You’re Winter, right?”

Diligently dipping her head in approval, the oldest returned her hands behind her back, turning her stare on Weiss and regaining some of the hard expression she had on, earlier.

“Well, I think my dear, beloved sister owes me a good cup of coffee, if she wants me in a more… agreeable mood, hm?”

Taking her cue gladly, Weiss pushed the door wide open as she simply gestured for them to come inside, and after Ruby passed in front of her, squeezing her hand encouragingly, Winter stopped shortly, glancing down at the bandage on her hand before leveling her eyes to her again, and she knew what it meant.

Winter wanted to know what happened.

She just wasn’t sure how her sister would react, if she knew the story.

 

****

 

It didn’t take much time for Ruby to warm up to Winter, and surprisingly – well, not that it was _all_ surprising, Winter knew this was her girlfriend – Winter seemed genuinely curious about Ruby, wanting to know about her classes even if she already knew, wanting to know Ruby’s hobbies and pastimes. Thankfully avoiding family matters, Weiss was just content to watch over them with a smile over her mug of coffee, her chin resting in her hand as the two chatted away, sitting at the kitchen island.

The mood was light and filled with Ruby’s laughter and her smiles, and even Winter seemed to loosen the rigid line of her shoulders, sometimes chuckling along with Ruby, and it was in the middle of the girl’s explanation of Crescent Rose that her phone rang loudly, and Weiss recognised the ringtone set for Yang.

The blonde surely wanted to know if everything was alright.

After excusing herself, a bit embarrassed, Ruby disappeared in the hallway to answer her phone, and Winter, with a small smile still pulling her lips, followed the girl with her eyes before turning to her, her expression falling to a more serious one. Shying away from her sister’s stare, she preferred looking down at her near empty mug, tracing the rim with her thumb as she waited for Winter to speak.

“What am I going to do with you?” The older sister let out in a sigh, cautiously examining her face. “You look… happy, with her. You just have to look at her, it’s…”

Observing a moment of silence, she looked up to see Winter stare at her for a second longer before looking away, her expression darkening as she sighed.

“You know that sooner than later, it will reach Father,” the oldest quietly let out, making her bristle in the process.

“I know.”

“What are you going to do?”

Returning her attention to her mug, she could hear the distant voice of Ruby coming from the hallway, probably telling Yang that Winter was here. Still, the question brought her back to the same point she had been, three months ago when she had kissed Ruby for the first time.

What was she going to do?

Her father already knew, and had expressly ordered for her to stay away. And as soon as she got back, she disobeyed him.

It was easy to say that his retaliation will be… most definitive and unpleasant.

Of course she wanted out. She wanted to get as far away as possible, but… She was scared.

Scared of being all alone again.

As if her sister was reading her thoughts on her face, Winter leaned slightly closer, glancing quickly to the hallways Ruby had disappeared into as they could still hear the girl talking.

“Did you find something?” The oldest asked in a hushed voice, not bothering to be clearer as she knew Weiss would understand.

And she did. The simple thought made her grit her teeth helplessly as she glanced away.

“No. Nothing. I think… I think there’s nothing we can do. Nothing _I_ can do,” she added bitterly.

“Nonsense. There’s always a back door, always a draw back. Weiss,” Winter insisted, reaching over to take her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “Don’t give up.”

“What’s the point?” She snapped, feeling the same anger spark to life in the pit of her stomach. “I can’t find _anything_ that can help, and all the things I read about is that it’s unbreakable!”

As they stared intensely at each other, they heard the soft padding of Ruby coming back from the hallway, and as the girl was sliding back in the kitchen with a wide smile on her lips, Ruby paused upon seeing them as their staring contest broke off then.

“Is everything alright?” Her girlfriend asked, a bit anxiously.

“Yes,” Weiss forced out, staring hardly at her mug of coffee. “Everything is fine.”

Raising an eyebrow at the obvious lie, Ruby made her way closer, before gently looping her arms around her in the gentlest hold, and she leaned her cheek on Ruby’s shoulder, closing her eyes as she gladly accepted the affection. She felt Ruby rubbing a hand over her back, smoothing the rigid line of her shoulders until she relaxed, and she wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s waist, nuzzling Ruby’s neck gratefully.

“Better?” She heard the girl whisper in her ear, her breath tickling it.

“Much,” she replied in the same way. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” Ruby smiled, satisfied of her work.

After pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, the girl pulled away but didn’t get far as she sat right beside Weiss, even pulling her stool closer so she could reach out to her anytime. And she did just that, settling a hand on her thigh as Ruby smiled at her, warming her all the way to her core as she wondered how in the world her father wanted her away from that.

“What happened to your hand?”

Winter’s question, in all appearance innocent, held an incredible amount of concern as the oldest sister’s eyes stayed on the bandage around her hand, deciding to leave the previous subject for an earlier question.

On her thigh, she felt Ruby’s hand curl a bit, her fingers gripping in anxious reflex as her silver eyes glanced at her shortly, pleading.

Pleading, because Ruby didn’t want her busting Blake.

As she held Ruby’s stare, she remembered how her father always told her she wasn’t a good liar. But she also remembered Winter saying that to make a lie sound true, you had to stick as close as possible to the truth, and alter the things to keep hidden.

“We had a run in with the White Fang.”

Instantly, Ruby’s eyes widened, the hand on her thigh gripping now as her girlfriend stared at her in a mix of disbelief and anger, while Winter straightened her back in her usual, business ramrod line.

“The White Fang?” Her sister repeated, alarmed. “In Vale?”

“Yes. I had the displeasure of meeting Adam Taurus.”

“Tell me what happened,” Her sister demanded, so serious now.

Taking a deep breath as she could feel the weight of Ruby’s stare on her, she replayed the events of the day before in her mind, organising them in chronological order and carefully removed Blake from her story.

“We were out on a date,” she started, earning a single raised eyebrow from Winter, clearly having something to say about the visibility of their relationship and her precarious position, but thankfully stayed silent. “And Ruby went to show me something. But as she did, some… goon pulled me in an alleyway, and I told Ruby to get out of there and wait for me at my car.”

“That was a bit presumptuous of you to act like you would get out of this,” Winter remarked, a bit skeptical.

Raising her eyebrows, she wordlessly raised both her hands, before gesturing at herself, definitely proving her point.

“Well I’m still here.”

Narrowing her eyes, Winter wordlessly gestured for her to resume her story, and she already knew that her sister was grumbling about unnecessary risks, even more for her. Still, she obliged, getting to the tricky part.

“As Ruby left, I managed to get away from the thug, and I managed to lose them… Until I ran into Adam Taurus. “

The flimsy start was instantly overshadowed by the importance of the name as Winter’s features hardened visibly, and the oldest’ hand moved to rest on the hilt of her rapier by reflex.

Beside her, Ruby was strangely still, and as silent as a tomb, the hand on her thigh resting there motionless.

“You met him? Face-to-face?” Winter asked, just to be sure, and it made her blink when she nodded. “How did you get away? You were alone and defenseless-”

“I am _not_ defenseless,” she instantly retorted back, bristling and glaring at her sister, who merely closed her mouth shut. “He, though, was thinking I was. So I kept his attention away, and I grabbed a brick, and I hit him with it.”

“You bricked him?” Ruby repeated, almost chocking in surprise, but when she turned around to look at her, there was a newfound admiration in her silver eyes as they shone brightly. “In the face?”

“Yes,” she nonetheless nodded, gesturing at the new shirt she was wearing. “That’s why there was blood on my shirt. I think the second hit broke his nose.”

Blinking at the new information, Ruby then brought her hands up to gently cradle her face, which made her arch an eyebrow.

“Just when I thought you couldn’t be more my type,” the other girl let out with a grin. “Weiss, you’re such a badass! Marry me!”

As the first comment had brought a light blush to her cheeks, the last definitely burned her entire face as she could hear Winter’s long suffering sigh, but not wanting to be the only one embarrassed, she reached up to lace her fingers with Ruby’s, managing a small, playful smile.

“Don’t tempt me,” she mumbled loud enough for Ruby to hear. “I would if I could.”

She called it a success when dark eyebrows rose high, and the same stupidly happy grin spread on the girl’s lips as a blush colored Ruby’s cheeks, rending it the same shade as her namesake as their eyes locked, content to simply be close like this.

A suddenly loud, and rather rude, clear of throat broke the spell, and she was harshly brought back to reality.

“What happened after?” Winter demanded again, this time a bit dryly.

Blinking as she felt Ruby’s hand return on her thigh, a bit higher from earlier, she shrugged. This part was easy to say.

“I went back to my car without being seen, and Ruby was there. Then I drove her back home, and I stayed there for the reminder of the day, watching to make sure I wasn’t followed. This morning, Ruby and Yang scouted my building apartment to make sure it wasn’t under surveillance, and when they confirmed it was not… I could come and get a change of clothes.”

“Why didn’t you call me? Or went to the authorities?”

Standing abruptly, Winter started pacing across the space of the kitchen, the fidgeting of her fingers over the hilt of her rapier a tell of her restlessness, and the question made her pause. Of course she should have expected it; it was a rather logical thing to ask, but… what could suffice after all this?

“I told her I wanted to go home,” Ruby quietly said, flying to her rescue when the girl noticed she was searching for an answer, and her voice grew assured as she turned to Winter. “I was just so scared, I didn’t know what was happening, so I wanted to go home.”

“And you went along with this?” Winter nearly scoffed, turning to her sharply.

This time, it wasn’t a lie when she answered, turning to the girl and meaning every word she spoke.

“Her safety is my priority.”

A soft pink tint colored her girlfriend’s cheeks as Ruby smiled timidly, leaning over to peck her cheek, and Winter sighed again, this time resigned as her sister stilled her pacing to pinch the bridge of her nose, irritation mixing with worry in her voice.

“And your safety is mine,” Winter retorted before straightening her back. “I will leave two of my men to guard you until this situation clears.”

“No!”

Both her and Ruby had nearly jumped out of their stools at that, and after a quiet clear of her throat that made Winter arch an eyebrow, Weiss tried again, calmly.

“No, Winter, I don’t want guards. I don’t _need_ guards.”

“After what you told me, you most certainly do,” her sister retorted right back.

“Winter-”

“I am not going to fail you, Weiss,” Winter took a step closer, her expression resolute as she stared at her. “Not again.”

The comment made her pause, staring at her sister. She knew that Winter blamed herself for what happened, took responsibility of it. She just didn’t know that Winter thought it was _on her_.

“You did not fail me,” she softly let out, meeting her sister’s stare. “Not before, not now.”

“Weiss, I can’t just leave you alone, _knowing_ that Adam Taurus has seen you unguarded!”

“And do you really think he will try something with the show of power you pulled?”

Pointing out the window, towards the Atlesian fleet hovering over Vale and around Beacon’s tower, Winter’s eyes reluctantly followed the direction

“If Taurus, or any member of the Fangs for that matter, has done his homework, he _knows_ my sister is somewhere in these airships,” she continued, glad to see that Winter’s features softened slightly. “If he has at least two still working brain cells, he knows that if he tries something on me, he will have an _entire fleet_ after him. Not a continent away, but right here.”

She gave a pause, just for the dramatic effect as Winter was still staring at the fleet in the distance, her expression still scrunched in concern but without the hardness of her steely resolve from earlier, and she reached a hand to lightly touch her sister’s arm, regaining her attention instantly.

“You _are_ doing your fair share of protection, Winter. Even without guards standing at my door.”

Seemingly considering it for a moment more, her sister turned her pale eyes on Ruby, who had been thoughtfully silent all through the conversation, but even the girl was looking over the fleet in the distance with a slight nod, conceding Weiss’ point.

Staring a couple of seconds more at Ruby, Winter’s expression softened, all the hard lines of her face vanishing as her pale eyes returned on Weiss.

“Alright,” Winter finally, and a bit reluctantly agreed, dipping her head a bit. “But if there is anything-”

“You will be the first to know,” she assured, having a strange sensation of déja-vu.

A loud buzzing sound was heard suddenly, and Winter’s back instantly straightened as she patted her jacket, before reaching in the breast pocket inside her jacket for her phone, then her scroll, pulling it out with a grimace.

Winter had once showed her all the potential of usefulness a device such as a scroll could accomplish, promising that she would get one as soon as she would start her training as a Huntress, but… now seeing one only ever made her heart ache.

“I have to go,” the oldest let out as she snapped the device shut, returning both scroll and phone in her pocket. “Remember, Weiss. If there is anything, you tell me.”

“Of course,” she obediently nodded, standing from her stool and Ruby did the same.

As she lead her sister to the door, Winter paused shortly to hug her gently, then moved to shake Ruby’s hand again.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Rose,” Winter smiled, genuine.

“You can call me Ruby,” the girl said, a bit embarrassed. “But, it was nice meeting you!”

The small smile inched larger on her lips at Ruby’s genuine assurance, and with a short dip of her head, Winter left, her heels clacking on the floor and echoing in the hallway quickly telling of her haste.

Once alone, both her and Ruby let out a sigh, and she leaned her back against the door, rubbing her temple.

“I didn’t expect you would meet her like this,” she grumbled under her breath, wondering how a single _week_ could feel like an eternity.

“You never told me you had a middle name,” Ruby commented quietly. “‘Victoria’. It’s pretty.”

“Yes, well, it wasn’t only for the beauty of the name and more for its intended meaning,” she sighed, letting her hand fall to her side and leaned her head back, keeping her eyes on her girlfriend. “If it wasn’t for the Schnee tradition of names starting with ‘W’, Father would have named me that. But, I guess it was when he still cared, because even he doesn’t use it. And Winter ever uses my full name when I’m in trouble, so…”

Humming softly, Ruby’s expression scrunched up into a thoughtful one, and after a moment of silence her girlfriend extended a hand, one she gratefully took, and only smiled when the girl pulled her in her arms to hold her gently. Leaning her cheek against Ruby’s shoulder, she looped her arms around the girl’s waist, letting her thumb run absentmindedly across the spot of Ruby’s back she could reach in a constant, soft caress.

A silence rested over them as they rocked from side to side slowly, and honestly she knew she could stay right here, in this moment like this, until the end of time, and it wouldn’t even make her bat an eye. The space of Ruby’s arms was her sanctuary, and in this space, she knew that nothing could harm her as it was where she could let her guard down entirely.

Not that she kept her guard up with Ruby. Her girlfriend was the only one who she knew she could be herself, say whatever she was thinking, and it was only going to be greeted by the same open and accepting stare of Ruby’s beautiful, wonderful silver eyes.

“She’s, like, so much taller than you,” her girlfriend quietly mused, not seeking for an answer but simply thinking out loud. “But you look two look kinda alike. And she was nice! But, yeah, Winter kinda reminded me of Yang for a moment with her ‘Big Sister’ stare.”

It only made her chuckle in the crook of Ruby’s neck, nodding. Maybe that was why she was so fond of Yang. Because sometimes, the blonde did or said something that sounded incredibly familiar in her ears.

“What were you talking about when I came back from talking to Yang?” The girl asked curiously, turning her head to nuzzle ivory tresses gently.

Well, maybe there was still one thing she was possessively guarding, she thought as her injured hand closed in a tight fist, sending a sharp flash of pain in her hand.

“It’s nothing,” she chose to say, hidden away in Ruby’s neck. “An unsolvable problem from some time ago.”

“Didn’t seem like nothing to you,” the girl instantly replied, and she could hear the edges of starting worry in her voice. “You looked… angry and-”

“Ruby,” she interrupted as she pulled away, but to not let Ruby think she was mad at her or something she smile and kept her hands to give them a soft squeeze. “How about we go check the participants of the Tournament?”

She offered a feeble smile when Ruby stared at her, wordlessly, for a moment more, and she hoped her girlfriend understood that she just didn’t want to talk about this.

Not now. Not yet. Winter’s visit had… delayed her readiness of sharing this piece of information that was still hidden away in a shadowed corner.

Maybe Ruby saw in her eyes that it was a conversation for another time, and not one she should forget altogether, and after a gentle squeeze in response, Ruby smiled, before she seemed to be struck with a thought that made her pause again, and she frowned, a bit worried at the expression the girl was wearing.

“You didn’t tell for Blake,” Ruby let out, a small smile appearing on her lips as she felt her thumb run over her knuckles affectionately. “Why?”

“I can live with a lot of things on my mind, Ruby,” she started, knowing that honesty was always the best policy with her girlfriend, and she brought Ruby’s hand to her lips to press a soft, tender kiss against her fingers. “But I can’t live with you being mad at me.”

It made the girl huff as a light blush colored her cheeks, and Ruby managed to poke her cheek playfully in response, making her smile. Then, the girl pulled her hand free from her hold to gently cup her cheek, before leaning in and taking her lips in the softest kiss.

Instantly melting against her girlfriend, she snaked a hand up Ruby’s arm to rest it against the girl’s nape, letting out a soft hum of approval when she felt Ruby wrap an arm around her.

Resisting chasing after her lips when Ruby pulled away to press their foreheads together, she swallowed a bit thickly, the hand on the back of Ruby’s neck sliding down to smooth Ruby’s collar against the girl’s collarbones, sighing quietly.

“You are very good at that,” she whispered, keeping her eyes down on Ruby’s neck, her heart already beating loudly in her chest.

“Really?” She heard the girl say as quietly, her voice playful.

She simply nodded, swallowing again.

“I wouldn’t mind kissing you until the end of the world.”

Humming, a playful smile pulled the girl’s lips as Ruby bumped their noses together.

“It would be a great way to pass the time, wouldn’t it?”

The comment made her huff with a smile, warmth spreading in her chest to the very tips of her limbs as she locked eyes with Ruby, for a moment wondering where she would be now without this girl in her life.

As her girlfriend gently towed her to the living room to crash in the couch, Ruby making sure she was leaning comfortably against her, the girl pulled her phone from her pocket and looped her arms around her so they both could see the screen, and as Ruby tapped away on it to get to the website of the Tournament, she listened happily as Ruby babbled about the previous ones, telling how amazing the Hunters were in general and she snuggled closer to her girlfriend when Ruby found the thumbnails of previous teams.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeyyyyyyyyyy it's me! I'm sorry for the delay, it's been... quite the chaotic few months, for me haha
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 
> 
> I wish you a SUPER DUPER GREAT year for everyone reading this and beyond! I wish you all hapiness, health and all the love you can receive! May this year be greater than the last! I love you all!

She didn’t know if she was thankful or irritated that Ruby had the grace of waiting until they were going to bed before asking what had surely been on her mind all day.

It had been a relaxing day, after Winter left. After Ruby showed her everything she had to know about the Vytal tournament, the younger girl had proposed to watch a show that she really liked, and unable to refuse her anything, she had agreed. It was a cartoon, and even though she hadn’t much experience in shows altogether, she realised it was a _really_ good show.

Once again unable to refuse Ruby (not that she minded at all), dinner was pizza eaten in front of the TV, entirely too wrapped up in the show to leave it for now, and they were interrupted by Ruby’s phone, Yang’s ringtone sounding loudly again as they realised it was nearly eleven in the evening.

Mortified at leaving her sister without news for so long, Ruby immediately picked up to reassure Yang, and it only took a single glance towards her for Ruby to say she would spend the night, too.

She didn’t mind. Spending time with Ruby was her favorite thing in the world, and getting to cuddle her girlfriend longer was always a good thing in her book.

Later when Yang relented and finally gave in, she was in her room while Ruby was changing in her borrowed sleepwear, and she was absentmindedly smoothing the wrinkles on the bed cover, her brows furrowed as some of them wouldn’t stay in place.

Gritting her teeth as she kept trying, she hated the way this simple thing seemed to _escape_ her, as no matter what she did, this wrinkle was always coming back. That no matter what she did, she somehow couldn’t do it right and made the wrinkle disappear, and she hated that such a simple thing made her feel as helpless and absent of control as it did.

The edge of the bandage on her hand caught against the covers, and she stilled her movement for a moment, straightening her back to look down at her hand.

She should change the bandage. It could still get infected.

She made her way out of her room and towards the bathroom, wondering if she had the materials needed for another dressing, and she opened the door as she was still looking down at her hand, looking up only when a loud yelp sounded.

There was a moment of stillness when her eyes landed on Ruby, freshly out of the shower and thankfully fully clothed, although the girl had promptly closed the shirt over her front to cover herself.

Feeling her cheeks burning, Weiss wordlessly stepped back and closed the door, her heart suddenly thumping painfully against her ribcage.

“I’m sorry!” She quickly blurted out, embarrassment clear in her voice. “I was distracted, and… I forgot you were there.”

A light chuckle came from inside, and soon enough, the door opened with Ruby’s shirt properly buttoned.

“It’s okay,” the girl only said, leaning over to peck her cheek. “You have a lot of things on your mind.”

With her cheeks still red and warm, Weiss merely dipped her head before entering the room, the mirror still blurry from the steam as she searched through the cabinets, vaguely remembering placing medical supplies there, until she felt Ruby’s presence close to her.

“What are you doing?” The girl asked curiously just as she let out a victorious ‘Ah!’ after finding the small box she was searching for.

Setting the box on the counter, she opened it and quickly looked over the supplies, searching with the tips of her fingers.

“I want to change my bandage,” she informed, waving her injured hand in front of her. “It has to be kept clean.”

“Let me help you,” Ruby instantly offered, shooing her hands away.

“You don’t have to,” she started to counter, until she met the unfazed gaze of the younger girl.

“I know I don’t have to,” Ruby replied, pointing a finger to the toilet for her to sit. “I want to.”

Conceding with a quiet sigh, she took place over the cover of the toilet seat, and obediently gave her injured hand to Ruby when the girl motioned for it. Watching her as Ruby delicately unraveled the old bandage, the girl took a moment to look over it, running a light thumb alongside the cut as she let out a quiet hum.

“It’s still tender,” Ruby whispered, mostly to herself. “Covering it is a good idea.”

Rummaging through the box again, and after another hum, Ruby finally pulled out a box of gauze pads along with a roll of white tape, then a tube of antiseptic cream. Gently applying the cream, Ruby then tried to cover the cut with the pads before taping it all together.

“There aren’t any bandages in your box,” Ruby explained after she looked over her handiwork, nodding in satisfaction. “But it should hold.”

“Thank you,” she breathed as she stood, looking down at her hand as Ruby hoarded the supplies back into the box.

The girl only smiled, seemingly happy that she could help in some way, but she seemed distracted as all too soon, the smile faltered to be traded by a thoughtful expression, slowing down as Ruby put some order in her medical box.

“Hey, um, so I was wondering,” the girl started, shifting a bit as se closed the box after a second of hesitation. “About that cut. It’s, uh… Shouldn’t it be already healed? With your Aura, I mean…”

Feeling herself grit her teeth as she kept her eyes on the new bandage, she had to remind herself that Ruby wasn’t trying to be obnoxious with her questions, reminding herself that she was only curious and was trying to understand. She knew she could always tell her later, if she really wasn’t up for it.

She didn’t want her girlfriend to see her the way Winter did. The way her father did.

Fragile. Helpless. In _need_ of protection. In a way, Jacques had succeeded with wanting Weiss to look like she was defenseless, as her sister clearly thought she was.

“Is it the reason you can’t be a Huntress? Because your Aura don’t work?” Ruby tried again, her voice sounding distant suddenly.

But she _wanted_ to tell her. She wanted to _tell_ someone, not for the person to already know, like Winter did.

And talking about this with Winter wasn’t the same. Her sister, even though she loved her with all her heart, didn’t understand. _Couldn’t_ understand.

Maybe Ruby would.

Suddenly taking her decision, she took a sharp breath in before reaching over to gently grasp Ruby’s hand, curling her fingers around hers, and she looked up with a small, sad smile.

“Come along,” she merely said, Ruby instantly perking up.

The girl following her obediently as they left the bathroom, she led them back to her bedroom and, in the dim lighting of the lone lamp on the nightstand, she let go of Ruby’s hand as she gestured for her to sit on the bed, the girl doing so immediately as she kept her eyes on her, concern apparent in them.

Taking another steadying breath in, she chose to sit beside her girlfriend slowly, taking a moment to gather the bits of courage she had before and, determined, brought her hands to the collar of her shirt, starting to undo the buttons one after the other.

She was at the fourth when Ruby suddenly understood what she was doing and, rather dramatically, threw herself as far away as she could across the bed, her eyes wide open and staring in utmost surprise.

“W-W-What are you doing?!” The girl shrieked as she was still crawling backwards on the bed. “I thought these kinds of things only happened after several passionate kisses-”

“I just want to show you something!” She quickly interrupted her in a high-pitched yelp, feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment at what Ruby implied. “I’m not-”

Closing her eyes shortly, she had to refrain from snapping at her girlfriend in embarrassment and so, she simply turned away, offering her back as she let her shirt slid off her shoulders and pooling around her waist.

“Here,” she grumbled over her shoulder, her cheeks still warm as she held her spine in a ramrod line.

There was a moment of silence as she heard Ruby shift on the bed, then the soft clear of her throat was heard.

“I, uh, there’s nothing out of the ordinary,” the girl’s voice finally sounded, quiet. “I like your bra, though.”

Feeling another wave of heat creep up her neck, she dipped her head, hiding behind her bangs even if Ruby couldn’t see her face.

“It’s not something you can see,” she informed, wondering if it had been a good idea after all. “But something you can feel, between my shoulder blades.”

As the silence lengthened behind her, Ruby assuredly staring like a deer caught in headlights, she simply waited, decided to see it to its end, clutching her sleeves as she stared at her lap.

And she waited. Until, behind her, there was the faintest sound of a breath, and she heard the whisper Ruby’s movement caused as the girl cautiously moved closer. She felt it when her girlfriend sat directly behind her, with her legs crossed as she could feel the hard press of Ruby’s knees on each side of her, and the girl was so close she could almost feel the warmth radiating from her.

A shiver ran down her spine when she felt Ruby’s breath against her skin, subtle like a distant caress, and she had to swallow, the feeling momentarily making her heart beat slightly faster.

As soon as she felt the light touch of Ruby’s fingertips on her back, a soft, quiet sigh escaped her lips as she forgot herself for a moment, closing her eyes as her heart stuttered a bit.

It was only now that she realised Ruby had never touched her under her clothes, right against her skin. And as she felt her girlfriend’s touch climb up to her shoulder as Ruby followed the strap of her bra, she almost forgot _why_ Ruby was touching her like this.

Gods, pull yourself together, Weiss, she chided herself, gritting her teeth as she held back another shiver when she felt Ruby lean slightly closer, her breath once again blowing against her nape.

She tried to ignore the way it raised goosebumps all across her skin, and she _had_ to remind herself what they were doing this time.

Until she was abruptly pulled from her haze when Ruby’s fingers finally found what they were blindly searching for, and for a second panic seized her, making her eyes snap open and her breath to catch in her throat.

At the same time she heard the quiet noise Ruby let out, a mix between surprise and disappointment as her fingertips followed what she had found, trying to discern the pattern as if she was reading braille.

“Is that…”

Deciding to trail off, Ruby shifted impossibly closer, and she could guess her girlfriend was trying to see what was on her back, but after another long moment of silence, the girl’s fingers resumed their blind travel.

“That’s a far-too-perfect circle to be a simple scar,” Ruby finally let out, dread audible in her voice as her touch stilled against her skin.

“It’s because it isn’t one,” she quietly let out, still under Ruby’s touch. “A ‘simple’ scar, that is.”

“Then… What is it?”

This was it. The moment she had dreaded as much as she had wanted it. Taking a long, steadying breath through her nose, she let it out slowly, letting it drag on and chasing her nervousness with it.

“Are you familiar with runes?” She decided to start with, turning her head slightly.

She could tell her girlfriend was a bit taken aback by the question as she could only imagine how her dark eyebrows climbed high on her forehead.

“Um,” Ruby let out, thinking. “Aren’t they the things you can etch on your clothes to give them powers of some kind?”

“Some of them, indeed,” she dipped her head in acknowledgment, before releasing a small sigh, feeling her shoulders droop. “Some runes are to be left on inanimate objects to create barriers, doors, bridges, etc. Some can be etched on clothing, to give them offensive or defensive abilities. Some others can be etched on a body, giving them abilities no mere human could even dream of.”

Pausing for a second as Ruby was shifting behind her, and she nearly scooted over to give her more space until she felt the girl’s arms looping around her waist, pulling her closer as her girlfriend pressed against her back.

She figured her brain would have short-circuit as she could feel Ruby’s soft forms pressing against her bare back with only the thin fabric of Ruby’s shirt separating them, but her mind, unlike earlier, was far from those thoughts right now.

“And then there are those that are traps, or seals.”

A short pause followed.

“Is it… Is it a sealing rune?” Ruby guessed, whispering right in her ear as the girl sat her chin on her shoulder.

“Surprisingly there are many kinds,” she continued, relishing her girlfriend’s presence. “Some can simply diminish one’s powers and strengths. I read they were often used with training, to better oneself, and can be easily broken after the training is done. Others seals powers for a set amount of time, and I read they were used sometimes with infiltration missions. Winter told me she had to use one of those, once,” she added, glancing over her shoulder. “And, there are those that are… permanent, unless broken with another rune.”

“The one I have is one of the permanent kind,” she slowly let out, her hands curling into tight fists, and it was only when she felt Ruby’s hands gently wrapping around them that she realised they were trembling. “The fact that it is so hard to see on someone is one of the reasons Father chose it, aside of its capabilities. And from what I have read, it is one of the strongest sealing runes that exist. And there doesn’t seem to be a way to break it.”

“So that’s why you never showed me your Semblance,” Ruby softly murmured after a long, thoughtful silence. “Or why your Aura doesn’t seem to work.”

“In my defense, I always talked about my Semblance in past tense,” she quietly said back, ignoring the way her heart sank in her chest.

“Was it part of the deal, too? What kind of deal is this?”

At the increasingly angry rise of the girl’s voice, feeling her arms tightening around her waist protectively, she tried to make her understand even though she had thought the last part more times than she cared to admit.

“The deal was that I had to obey if I was to lose,” she reminded. “If I had known all of this would happen…”

“Why even do this in the first place?” Ruby was stubbornly arguing. “You could have simply left-”

“The only way I could leave the mansion to be a Huntress was if I passed the test,” she interrupted harshly, bristling. “Winter had done it when she wanted to leave, and she was the one who was training me, and when she told me I was ready, I believed her. But I was too cocky, too confident, too arrogant, and I thought… I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought I was invincible, I was… I was only seventeen, how could I _ever_ know my own father would do this to me?!”

Letting out a shaky breath, she felt Ruby nuzzling her neck, softly rubbing her thumbs across her knuckles in silent apology, and she closed her eyes, trying to relax under the soft and reassuring touch of her girlfriend. Being here, secured in Ruby’s arms, safe and warm, she wondered about a different life, where she _did_ managed to win against the golem, where she went to Beacon…

Oh, how different she was sure it would be.

Another part of her reminded her that, in said life, maybe she wouldn’t have met Ruby at all…

“Is it what happened ‘after’?”

Ruby’s voice, murmured directly into her ear, took some time to be registered as she was pulled from her musing and, slightly confused, she glanced over her shoulder, nearly bumping her nose against Ruby’s.

“What?”

“You said you weren’t afraid of blood, not really,” the girl explained, keeping her voice low, somewhat distant and thoughtful. “You said it reminded you of what happened _after_. Is this…” Ruby trailed off for a second, pulling away only to snake a hand between them, lightly touching her back between her shoulder blades, where the seal was. “What happened after?”

“Yes,” she let out in a breath after a beat of silence, dipping her head.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

This time, the silence was much longer as she considered Ruby’s words, and upon seeing her hesitation, Ruby’s grip tightened around her, her girlfriend pressing closer against her back as the girl gently nuzzled the crook of her neck.

“You’re not easily scared, Weiss,” Ruby stated as she straightened her head to look at her, leaving a light kiss on her shoulder. “In fact, I don’t think I ever saw you being scared of something, besides your father.”

“Did you know that this particular rune is banned from most of Remnant?”

Blinking, a bit taken aback by Weiss’ sudden change of subject, Ruby simply shook her head then, not willing to force the issue. Or Ruby knew her words would lead somewhere.

“Yes, applying this rune on someone is illegal in most kingdoms, now,” she continued, keeping her eyes cast low as she remembered all she had read about the seal. “It was used as sanction for Huntsmen or Huntresses that abused others with their powers. Taking their semblance away, a rehab of some sort. Although, this practise didn’t last long, maybe a century at most, because it was judged ‘too barbaric’.”

“Really?” Ruby let out, quiet but sounding surprised. “Why?”

“Because most of them died,” she replied flatly. “The ones that survived were young, not yet fully trained. It is the same reason I am still alive. Because I wasn’t fully trained.”

“Wait, but you just said it was illegal-”

“In most kingdoms, yes,” Weiss interrupted her, letting out a small sigh. “In fact, it is illegal in all kingdoms but one. I’m letting you take a guess which one it is.”

“Atlas,” Ruby breathed, horror widening her eyes.

Dipping her head in approval, Weiss stayed silent for a moment, taking in a sharp breath as she wetted her lips, trying to gather every scrape of courage she could muster to continue what she wanted to say.

“The deal was that I had to obey if I were to lose,” she reminded quietly, softly. “And when I did lose, the first thing Father did was make sure I would never defy him like this again.”

She let out a huff, bitter, sad and tired, a small humorless smile pulling her lips.

“He had everything ready,” she quietly recalled. “As if he already knew I was going to fail. He made the golem drag me in the next room like I was a simple sack of rock, and Father marked me like I was some livestock. It wasn’t the burn that hurt the most, it was… It was when the rune was activated,” she continued, knowing that Ruby was listening attentively. “It was… It felt like I was being skinned alive. It felt like… like my very soul was being ripped from me. And that there was nothing left of me.”

She paused then, letting out a shaky breath as she felt Ruby shift behind her, uncrossing her legs to instead press flush against her back, the girl’s thighs pressing on each side of her. For a moment, for a short moment, she felt trapped. Unable to move, unable to run, just like back then, and she was about to protest as she felt her throat tightening, her heart stuttering, but… but there was no pain. There was no searing burn, no strangled cry trying to leave through her gritted teeth.

There was simply warmth, soft and reassuring. A presence holding her, steadying her. And the smell of roses, filling her nose and calming her mind as she had associated it with Ruby.

She wasn’t trapped, on the contrary. She was safe, secured in Ruby’s arms. She was fine.

And it was with this certitude that she proceeded, clearing her throat quietly, Ruby simply waiting on her as the girl held her closely.

“I don’t remember much after that,” she murmured, furrowing her brows as she remembered the fog blurring her mind during that time. “The first memory I have after… _that_ , is me, sitting in front of a therapist, several days later. Father had been careful with the day of the test. He had waited for a time that Winter would be away, on a mission. When she came back, it was already done. I don’t remember it, but apparently she dragged me to every specialist Atlas had to get me to talk again. Surprisingly you might think, but I was declared clinically depressed.”

“Although I survived the rune,” Weiss said after a thoughtful silence, “I think a part of me died, that day. I know I felt like a lifeless shell for months, after that. During the time Winter was trying to help, I knew Father was taking care of contacting Beacon for me to get signed up, and he chose which course I would take. He took care of everything. What I would wear, where I would live, which car I would have, he even prepared a diet for me, since I wouldn’t train anymore. Of course, he wants to control how I look. The only thing I had to do was go there, have perfect grades and be the pretty doll he needed.”

 “Then I moved to Vale. The first months were the worst,” she murmured with a tired sigh, remembering those hazy days where nothing made sense to her. “I was left all alone, with clinical depression _and_ suicidal. There’s a reason why Winter was so worried, earlier. But she just kept trying, she kept calling, every day like clockwork, and whenever she _did_ come in Vale, she made some time to see me. Eventually, I figured I must have some worth, to her. So I started to try, too. For her. There were pills I had to take. School was starting. I figured I could start anew here, I figured… I figured I could find myself again, here.”

“But it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Everyone knew who I was in some ways, and I had to work through those expectations, but… it worked. After the first year, I didn’t have to take the pills anymore. And I had perfect grades. I was focusing on school, I chose it as my goal, and it worked. I was top of my classes, and I was so _proud_ of myself, for the first time since…”

Letting out a sigh, she realised that Ruby had never stopped the soft rubbing of her thumbs over her knuckles, and she was infinitely glad for it as she shifted in Ruby’s arms, turning a bit more towards her to press her forehead against her girlfriend’s temple.

“And then, the year after that, I was even better,” she continued. “I even started to complain about the weather,” she added, smiling when it successfully made Ruby snort. “I was getting better, and Winter was so proud of me with all the progress I made,” she remembered with fondness when her sister had been on the verge of tears as she had hugged her tightly. “But Father seemed to remember I existed, because he started to call then, a few times per month, to _make sure_ I remembered I was only living on borrowed time, time he had so graciously gave me, or so he says. But I did my very damn best to not let him destroy me again. And it worked.”

“And I did all of this on my own, well, besides Winter, of course,” she added. “Until, on a fateful French class, there was this new girl in town that needed a guide for a tour of Beacon.”

The corners of Ruby’s lips curled upward then as the girl dipped her head to press a soft kiss against her shoulder, seemingly willing to humor her as she smiled softly at her girlfriend.

“Little did I know that this simple tour would change my life forever,” she murmured in Ruby’s ear, leaning over to brush her lips over the shell of it. “You brought so much joy into my life, Ruby. Ever since I met you… I remembered what it was like to feel like me again. You were the reason I needed to keep searching for a way to break the seal, but… I think I’ll have to make do now.”

“But what are you going to do, then?”

Ruby’s quiet words were whispered right against the skin of her shoulder, not pressing in any way but gently curious and thoughtful as the girl was still holding her as tightly as before, and in her arms, in her girlfriend’s warm presence, the _last_ thing she wanted was to think of her future.

“Because… I mean, you can’t stay with your father,” Ruby was murmuring against her skin again, her features hidden. “You can’t. I knew he was a jerk, but now, what he did-”

“Ruby,” she softly interrupted, bringing a hand up to brush her fingers along the girl’s arm, the fabric of her shirt warm under her touch. “I don’t… Right now, I don’t want to think about this. Not today. Telling you everything has been stressful enough,” she added with a soft chuckle.

Letting out a telling breath through her nose, her girlfriend still simply nodded, returning to her silent nuzzling, and she shifted in the girl’s arms, turning to wrap her arms around Ruby and hugged her tightly, her opened shirt forgotten for the moment. Ruby instantly hugged her back with the same intensity, burying her face in Weiss’ neck with a soft sigh as she petted her girlfriend’s short, dark hair, always so soft to the touch.

“Thank you, Ruby.”

“For what?” The girl sounded surprised, but kept her voice low, a whisper just like hers.

“For listening,” she said after a thoughtful moment. “For being there. For being you. For reminding me what it’s like to feel whole again.”

Ruby’s hug tightened around her, and the girl made them fall back against the mattress, earning a quiet yelp from Weiss as they tumbled over, bouncing a bit. Then, Ruby pulled away slightly, propping herself on her elbow so she could look at her, bringing a hand up to gently brush a long ivory lock back.

“You’re very welcome, Weiss,” the girl finally said, her shimmering silver eyes locked with hers, and in them she could see infinite love and affection, so warm and soft even in the dim light. “And I’m _so_ proud of you, for getting through all this. But… We’ll find a way. You might not be able to break the seal, but… but we’ll manage. Okay?”

She had told herself these words so many times before, and she had never believed them one second. But right now, as she lifted her hand to cup Ruby’s cheek, smiling when the girl turned her head to kiss her palm… She believed every word Ruby had said.

“Okay.”

At that, Ruby leaned down as she was lifting her head, their lips meeting halfway in the softest kiss, the girl shifting closer on top of her, Ruby’s arm loosely wrapped around her waist, her hand clasping the loose fabric of her opened shirt. She could assure now that kissing Ruby was one of her favorite thing to do, as the girl’s lips were always so soft, so warm against hers. It was truly a wonder why she wasn’t glued to Ruby’s lips by now. Every time they kissed, she always found it harder and harder to stop, addicted to the feel of Ruby close to her, against her, lighting a flame inside her that burned bright and hot, but not unpleasantly so.

When the girl pulled away for a breath, she chased after her lips, angling her head and darting her tongue over Ruby’s lip teasingly, unabashedly demanding and needy. With a quiet gasp, the girl was drawn back in, Ruby’s hand by her waist now gently gripping as the kiss deepened.

What had started off as soft, chaste kisses was now a full make-out session as she was suddenly unable to let Ruby go, wanting her on her lips and barely allowing time for a breath. For a short second she wondered if she had crossed a line when Ruby forcefully pushed her away, an apology already halfway past her lips, but the girl was taking deep breaths, gasping as if she had been deprived of it for a while.

A shiver ran down her spine when Ruby’s eyes never left hers, staring half-lidded, full of warmth and love and… and something else.

Then, Ruby dove right back in.

She couldn’t help the soft moan that left her lips when she felt Ruby press against her, and she vaguely remembered that her shirt was almost all the way opened, most of her chest bare saved for her bra. In her heated mind, she suddenly wanted Ruby’s hands on her skin, like earlier across her back, and the thin fabric of Ruby’s shirt felt like sand paper against her.

It was the first time she wanted Ruby to touch her this _badly_.

Another part of her mind reminded her that they were alone in her apartment. In her room. _On her bed_.

But Ruby’s hands were wisely staying _away_ from her skin, as if the girl knew it would grow out of hand if she did.

Still, her every thoughts were careening and crashing into each other every time she felt Ruby’s tongue against hers, against her lips, or when her hot, burning mouth left hers to slowly leave trails of fire down her neck, pressing and following her pulse there that was beating madly.

Feeling her heart pounding like crazy in her chest as Ruby kept going lower down her neck, she couldn’t _believe_ herself when she simply turned her head to give the girl more space, and it was only when Ruby’s hot mouth reached her collarbone that, seemingly both of them realising what they were doing, pulled away in synch, Weiss pushing Ruby by the shoulders while the girl simply leaned on her hands, keeping each other at arm’s length.

As they stared at each other wide-eyed, she flicked her gaze slightly lower, at the base of Ruby’s neck, only to see the same crazy beating that her heart was doing. The simple sight sent a warm wave through her, spreading to her every tips and making her heart thump against her ribcage.

“I’m so sorry!”

To her utmost surprise, Ruby pulled away completely, sitting back on her heels as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes wide in a telling sign of growing panic.

“I’m so sorry, I should have asked, I didn’t- I didn’t mean- Oh, Yang is going to be so _mad_ at me!”

Blinking at the apology, she sat up in the bed when Ruby’s voice was climbing in pitch, reaching a hand over to lightly touch her arm to reassure her, wondering if the girl would notice how weak and trembling her voice was.

“Ruby,” She attempted, but her voice came out hoarse and she cleared it, ignoring the slight blush on her cheeks when Ruby heard it and paused her rambling to stare at her. “Ruby, calm down, I promise you did nothing wrong. And why would Yang be angry at you?”

“I… Because I didn’t ask and Yang told me that I _had_ to ask before doing something like this, because I had to _know_ if it was okay for me to-”

“Ruby,” she called softly, earning the silver eyes back on her. “Take a breath. It’s alright.”

Obediently, the girl did as told, visibly trying to calm down as she took in a deep breath and, after a moment, she gently rubbed her girlfriend’s arm, trying to see what was wrong.

“Are you calm?” She tried when she saw Ruby’s shoulders relaxing, when her eyes weren’t as wide and full of panic as earlier.

“Yeah,” the girl nodded, letting out a sigh.

“Care to explain _why_ Yang would be mad at you, then? I don’t think it’s even a possibility,” she added as a joke.

It worked a bit, Ruby huffing with only the corner of her mouth curling up, but then the girl started to toy nervously with her fingers, keeping her silver eyes lowered on her lap.

“It’s just…” the girl started, before sighing as her dark eyebrows furrowed slightly. “It’s a bit embarrassing.”

This time, she was the one to huff, resisting the urge of rolling her eyes as she could feel the remnants of her pounding heart calming, now a simple echo of what it had been a few moments ago.

“Do you really think I’m going to judge you?”

Silver eyes looked up at her, locking with her again as the dim light of the lamp caught in Ruby’s irises, making them shine like mirrors.

But before the girl said something, Ruby blinked and, with a slight blush, averted her eyes as she reached over and, delicately, pulled Weiss’ shirt back on her shoulders.

“That way I’ll stop losing my eyeballs in your bra,” the girl muttered, embarrassment clear in her voice.

“Oh,” was the only thing she let out, lowering her eyes on herself as Ruby’s hands returned on the girl’s lap.

“We’ve been together for almost four months, now,” Ruby started then, earning her attention back even before she had the presence of mind to button her shirt. “And it’s been wonderful! I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!” The girl then hastily assured before she could even process what she had said.

“But?” She guessed after blinking, smart enough to know it was coming.

And she was proven right when Ruby’s frame deflated, the girl in front of her hanging her head a bit lower than usual in a comical way, and maybe in another setting she would have found it funny. Right now, she was just confused, and wanted to understand.

“But…” Ruby finally let out, toying with her fingers again. “Ever since Yang caught you almost touching my butt, you kinda… stopped touching me altogether. Besides my lips, I mean.”

The simple memory made her cheeks burn as she remembered the moment precisely, but as she was about to argue that it wasn’t true, she was found with exactly what Ruby had said was, in fact, quite true.

“And, I mean, I get that it’s because you don’t want to do something you’re not allowed to, but… But I want you to, Weiss. I love you, and I love every moment we spend together, and I love whenever you take my hand or kiss me, but… I kinda wish you could _really_ touch my butt, sometimes.”

Her mind blanking instantly, she stared at Ruby as the words were slowly processed, feeling her heart stuttering in her chest and echoing in her ears as the simple _idea_ of what Ruby was proposing was making her every thoughts to explode like a thousand fireworks. And yet, under her numb stare, Ruby continued, rambling on as she seemingly hadn’t noticed how Weiss was reacting to what she was saying.

“So I asked for some advice, I mean, how are we supposed to broach the subject? And Yang kept telling me that I simply had to _talk_ about it with you, but I chickened out every time there was an opportunity, but then you went away and I missed you so much and after the photo you sent me I realised I wanted to be with you in every sense and so I asked advices to Yang again and she told me-”

“Wait,” she quietly interrupted, raising a slightly trembling hand between them and effectively cutting Ruby’s rambling off as the girl stumbled on a few words before clasping her mouth shut, clearly nervous. “What- What do you mean, you want to be with me ‘in every sense’?”

The girl shifted on her spot, darting her eyes away as a soft pink tint was apparent on her cheeks, even in the dim light, and she heard the quiet clear of her throat as Ruby finally looked up at her after a long, agonising moment, her expression decided even though a blush was burning her cheeks as she did.

“I want to sleep with you.”

Blinking, she tilted her head to the side a bit, furrowing her brows as she could feel confusion settling in.

“But we already did?” She tried, gesturing to the pillows behind her. “Last night, we slept together.”

At that, the blush on Ruby’s cheeks seemed to grow as the girl shifted again, her expression faltering a bit, but her eyes never left hers.

“Not literally sleep, I meant… I want to do the do with you, y’know?”

“The what?”

“Fine! I want to have sex with you! There, I said it! Yang said that if I was mature enough to do this, then I had to call it what it is.”

Only now did Ruby look away, her blush burning the entirety of her face and all the way to her ears, and she would have found it cute if her brain hadn’t fried the second her girlfriend’s words reached her ears.

As she stared at Ruby with eyes wide open, the term was stuck oddly in her head, turning and spinning as she tried to decipher it. Understand it’s meaning, it’s depth.

Sex. Gods, Ruby wanted to be intimate _in that way_ with her!

She remembered all those times, in movies or series they had watched together, how she had felt a bit embarrassed whenever ‘this’ was brought up on-screen. Whenever a passionate kiss between actors paid to look like they were in love was sure to be followed by clothes flying everywhere, or instantly went for the nearest bed, as if a sudden urge couldn’t be held back.

Yes, she had to say, sometimes she did wonder how it would be like with Ruby. To lay in bed together naked, doing… doing… things.

With her face ablaze, she blinked, still staring dumbly at her girlfriend that seemed ready to melt on the covers of the bed.

“But I- I have never- I don’t…” Then, suddenly realising something _crucial_ , she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Wait. You asked advice on _this_ to _Yang_?”

“Well yeah!” Ruby merely shrugged, a bit out of it as her girlfriend wasn’t meeting her eyes again. “She’s, like, my best friend, and I tell her everything. Who did you want me to ask?”

“Blake maybe? She’s your friend too?” She blurted out, dread constricting her throat a bit. “Not your _overly-protective big sister_!”

After saying it out loud, it seemed all the more real as she brought both hands to her head slowly, her eyes widening in horror.

“Maybe she’s been watching from the window the entire time, to make sure I wouldn’t jump on you or something!”

It only made Ruby scoff with a wave of her hand, brushing her words aside with the ease of someone used to it.

“Pff, Yang would be there without us noticing? She’s as subtle as an elephant in a porcelain shop!” Then suddenly, the girl paused, her eyes widening a bit. “But Blake would, if Yang asked her.”

But before she could retort something, Ruby shook her head, her brows knitted together as she retrieved her calm and seriousness, willing to see it to its end.

“But anyway she didn’t tell me much. She was very insistent on us staying safe and not rushing, and she told me that if we were to do this, she made me promise we would only do it if we were, both of us, a hundred percent sure about it. And she also told me to ask before I tried something.”

There was a short pause as Ruby bit her lip for a second, before once again a light blush colored her cheeks.

“But asking Yang when Blake is somewhere in the apartment is like asking her, too. So when Yang went to the bathroom, Blake handed me a couple of books with sticky notes poking out of them, and she _winked_ without saying anything before leaving. When I checked what was written on them, it was only numbers, and she had even made sure to put sticky arrows on the bits Blake wanted me to read. It was, um… Bits about two girls… You know.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. So… I kinda know what to do, although on the last note Blake had written that it was different for everyone, and not take what I read for granted. She put like, four sticky arrows pointing the word ‘exploration’.”

Apparently finally noticing her blank stare when she looked up, Ruby had the grace to look, even if it was just a bit, worried as she hadn’t moved a single inch from her spot. Once again, Ruby’s voice filled the silence, sounding just a bit regretful now.

“I’m sorry,” the girl murmured in a quiet sigh. “I guess I should have broached the subject earlier, instead of just… dropping a bomb on your head.”

“I would have appreciated that,” she let out the same way, her voice void of accusation however. “But I’ll manage to… digest it.”

A soft huff answered her, and she let out a slow breath as she lowered her eyes to her own hands, lying motionless on the covers of the bed as she tried to make sense of this conversation. The base line was simple; Ruby wanted to step further in their relationship, and after three months and a half, she could understand why. But Ruby had been right on something else, too.

She liked Yang a whole lot, but she knew the blonde would punch her into oblivion if she ever tried something Ruby wasn’t ready for. And, well, there was this simple thing that they _should_ have worked on before… Communication. Or, maybe she should have been more attentive of Ruby, she should have trusted her instead of panicking at the prospect of a blonde, madwomen chasing after her.

She looked over at Ruby, seeing her girlfriend biting her lower lip as the girl was toying with her fingers, her eyes down on them, with something akin to guilt on her face. The sight of it made her stomach twist painfully.

Out of instinct, she reached out to take her hand, her entire being pushing her to wipe this expression from her love’s face as silver eyes looked up to her again, offering a small smile as she did.

“It’s getting late,” she finally let out, not knowing what else to say. “We should get some sleep.”

Smiling again, Ruby simply nodded before shifting across the covers to take place, and when Ruby was about to lay down when she lightly touched Ruby’s elbow to gain her attention.

“That door isn’t closed,” she assured softly when her girlfriend’s eyes locked with hers again. “But… I need a bit of time, with all that is happening and, well, being _me_.”

“Hey, you’re super great,” Ruby instantly and gently countered, moving over to lightly bump their shoulders together. “And it’s really okay. Time is perfect, even more so for the way I _delicately_ broached the subject.”

It was visibly meant as a joke but the girl instantly sighed, her shoulders drooping again, before she leaned her forehead on Weiss’ shoulder, letting out a quiet groan.

“I’m bad at communication.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m better. Usually I manage without words.”

It made Ruby snort as the girl nuzzled against her shoulder, and she pecked Ruby’s head before gently pulling away, standing from the bed as she took her nightgown, still waiting on her nightstand.

“I have to change, but I’ll be quick.”

“You better! I want to cuddle-apologize you!”

She smiled at her girlfriend as she made her way out of the room, but when she closed the bathroom door she leaned her back to it, letting out a long, deep breath. To collect herself again. Needed a pause for her heart to remember how to beat at a normal pace again.

She stepped closer to the sink, and leaned her hands, minding her injured hand, on it to stare at herself in the mirror, taking in her features, herself, and seeing all the flaws there were. She remembered all the things her father said about her, listing it in a long list, and as she did she kept wondering how someone like Ruby could like her, much less _love_ her. She was bruised, broken, unfixable-

And yet, Ruby adored her, just the same way she adored Ruby. As she looked up at herself, locking her eyes there, she took a sharp breath in, repeating what she was telling herself ever since she had met Ruby.

It wasn’t because she was battered that she was unlovable. That she wasn’t worth it.

Ruby had showed her time and time again that what her father said about her was nothing but lies.

She just had to take some time, wrap her head around the idea. This, she thought, will have its place, like everything. And so, feeling a bit better, she changed in a flash, trading her _scandalously_ still open shirt and skirt for her nightgown, then went back in the room.

Ruby looked cozy, settled under the covers and sighing against the soft pillows already, the blanket pulled up to her nose, but her silver eyes settled on her as she untied her hair, and she quickly brushed it before going to bed, closing the bedside lamp as she did.

In the darkness of the room, both of them silent as the sound of their breaths was the only sound breaking the silence, Weiss stared at the ceiling for a long moment, feeling Ruby’s warmth warming the blankets and feeling so close to her side, as a space separated them like the night before.

“Ruby?” She quietly called, wondering if the girl was asleep already.

But a soft hum answered her instantly, and when she turned to her she could barely see her face even though they were close, but she could see enough to notice how Ruby was staring at her, attentive.

“How do you feel about… spooning? Is it the right name?”

Even in the darkness she noticed how Ruby’s dark eyebrows climb up on her forehead, and the beaming smile splitting her face in half, too.

“Spooning is like cuddling when we sleep, so it’s super alright with me! Do you wanna be the little one?”

“Oh, I wanted to be the big spoon,” she quietly informed, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Ruby propped herself on her elbow, seemingly to better see her.

“Are you sure? I’m taller.”

“But I’m older than you.”

At that, her girlfriend merely arched an eyebrow, and she felt her embarrassment climb under her stare as she shifted slightly, thanking the darkness for hiding the blush that was surely coloring her cheeks.

“And I really like holding you,” she added, her voice quieter than before.

“Aw!” The girl almost cooed, clutching the front of her shirt in glee as a large smile pulled her lips. “And I like when you’re holding me! Okay, you’re the big spoon!”

As she was talking, Ruby was already turning to her side, her back to Weiss, and slowly, carefully, she pressed closer, sliding an arm around the girl’s waist. A voice in the back of her head wondered why she was so nervous like this. They had cuddled so many times before, for extended periods of time, and had even fallen asleep in each other’s arms countless times.

Seemingly sensing her hesitation, Ruby reached out to take her hand, lacing their fingers together as the girl tucked them under her chin with a content sigh, and reassured, she relaxed, burying her nose in Ruby’s hair and breathing her girlfriend’s scent, never having enough it seemed.

Being so close to Ruby in the dark like this was as familiar as it felt new, but she was enjoying every second of it as, for the first time in her life it seemed, sleep came easily and quickly, her senses filled with Ruby’s warm, reassuring presence.

“Night, Weiss,” she barely heard Ruby’s soft words, already dozing off, too. “Sweet dreams.”

“Mmh… Night, Ruby. You too.”


End file.
